From Time Immemorial
by hisviks
Summary: The follow up to the Winning one shot from Sephrenia's Writing Challenge's In Memorium/ Momento Mori. Eric and Sookie can finally make a fresh start after a decade apart but a constant in each other's minds. Things will never be easy for a newly turned vampire and a telepath when the semblance of order that surrounds them threatens to fall apart. E/S–AU–MPOV -NOW COMPLETE-
1. Chapter 1 - Beginnings

**A/N: Thanks for reading. A note to first time readers; without reading the two one shots In Memorium and Memento Mori little of this will makes sense to you. For those looking to refresh their memories there is a reference page on my blog, although I would suggest a quick rereading to catch up with all the details outlined in those two pieces. A direct link to the reference page is in my profile or navigate to the From Time Immemorial page on hisviks dot wordpress dot com. There are also character banners, family trees and all that jazz.**

**Please note that I don't own anything pertaining to the universe of SVM and True Blood created by Charlaine Harris and HBO. Any recognisable characters, story lines and/or dialogue belong to them. I like to think the rest is mine.**

Chapter 1 –Beginnings

**GPOV**

"Can't they afford some decent hard ground around here?" my favoured niece complained as she stumbled over the wet grass. Her shoes, undoubtedly a product of perfect craftsmanship, were sinking into the ground with each step soiling the satin material. Thankfully her many other redeeming qualities made us all put up with her petulant bouts of whining. "Why are we here again?"

"Eric's unfuneral," Sookie replied knowing Pamela's question really needed no answering. Her royal highness had blocked out her busy calendar especially for this night. "Though you vampires really need to think of a better word for it."

"You're the one who thought of it," Pamela retorted. "Don't put it on us…" her reply was cut short as she toppled over with an aggravated scream. I caught her before her immaculate wardrobe sustained any damage and I couldn't help but chuckle at her fluster.

"You could fly instead," I offered, only turning her face more sour as she brushed off the imagined dust. It was a sore spot for Pamela, our entire house were known to be expert flyers. Her skill resembled something akin to the flight of the bumblebee. It was nowhere near as beautiful as the interlude of Rimsky-Korsakov's composition. "Hover?" My eyebrows lifted along with feigned innocence.

She huffed in return before moving forward steadily on her feet. "Sookie likes it when I act human," Pamela offered as a weak excuse. Sookie's attempt to stifle her giggle was to no avail with our heightened senses but for the sake of my niece I silenced my own amusement as we continued on to the gravesite.

It was a strange sight before us candles and white roses, from what I understood Sookie had been placing those flowers on Eric's grave every week since installing the empty grave. It jarred with the sight of the small excavator flooding the grave site with its harsh artificial lights.

I was never given a grave. With my death no one had missed me, it should be a sad memory but it's not. Until recently vampires didn't have the luxury of returning to loved ones. I never had any of those to return to; it was my fortune, not having anything to leave behind. There was nothing to miss.

Eric had travelled ahead of us, though he hadn't explained to me fully why. When we were walking towards the assigned spot in the cemetery I overheard his motivation. Eric wanted to be assured the headstone would be kept intact. Apparently he wanted to keep it as a memento.

It alleviated my worries. I know my young child lacks my niece's flair for the dramatics but the two of them together were turning into mutually bad influences. Had this been Pamela's unfuneral I would not have put it past her to jump out of the ground like one of those women inside a giant cake. Flawless without a speck of soil on her of course. It would be a look only Pamela could pull off successfully.

"Hi," Sookie said softly as she caught Eric's eyes. The two of them were a real marvel to observe, they were either orbiting around each other or colliding into each other with great force. It reminded me of the time I first saw them together, it was a decade ago to this day. Neither one was aware of the anniversary of course, as I had been hiding in the shadows then. I was but a ghost of their shared past in that moment of time.

Despite Pamela's admonishing I had ventured out into the sun that afternoon, regardless of my required appearance at her court that night. The sun didn't burn us to our final death like the Impurus but we did sport the appearance of a nasty sun burn. No SPF had proved strong enough so far, much to my regret.

My niece found it unbecoming, whilst I knew my reddened skin would heal in time. Pamela had been predictably sceptic as she wore the signature quirked brow of our bloodline in accusation on her otherwise flawless face. I had merely returned the same upturned gesture when I had returned without a hint of pink on my skin.

I wasn't looking for anything in particular that day but when I walked past the large glass window of the diner something inside called to my attention. They were exactly the same as then. Both afraid to make a wrong move, trying to look everywhere but at each other. I sat huddled in a dark corner of the diner where I could observe them unhindered.

I tuned out all sound, I simply wanted to watch a story as it was captured by sight. Observing everyday humans and their relations had always been a favourite pastime of mine through my many centuries. Unfortunately reality was always far more mundane than my imaginations, so I silenced that and wrote my own dialogue in accordance to their performance.

I had asked Eric once what their conversations had truly consisted of. He was able to tell me from his restored memory each and every single line of dialogue that they had exchanged. There weren't many and as I had anticipated they were incredibly uninteresting. A mild flirtation at most.

The things of interest had happened in their minds and unfortunately I wasn't gifted with telepathy like young Sookie but she had shared some recollections when I met her properly for the first time. Just as Sookie had never left Eric's thoughts, he had remained firmly inside hers.

I had found Eric as accidentally the second time as I had the first. He had interested me more than Sookie at the time. It is a strange revelation now, knowing that she carries this extraordinary gift. Yet Eric was a gift to me without possessing such skill, there had been a pull to him I could not explain. He simply belonged by my side.

I had briefly looked into him and found he lived the life of appearances but was far from comfortable living them. He doesn't remember much from his turning but I remember all. I found him whilst taking a nightly stroll through the otherwise uninhabited woods beyond Pamela's estate.

Two weres were beating him within an inch of his life but he fought valiantly even though it cost him his life. He refused to give up and at my growl the weres instantly retreated. I too then refused to give up on him and I did what I had vowed never to do. I would make him my child for he belonged among the living. I gave him a choice, something I had never been given but I thought he deserved. He answered yes and with that acceptance I opened up my veins to another for the first time.

I decided in that moment I would go to war with my own family were he not to rise as a Sanguine. He belonged by my side, full blooded or otherwise.

His amnesia became apparent shortly after rising. We were all somewhat at a loss in our new state initially, with Eric it lasted longer than it should. It made him somewhat helpless but I saw it as a great opportunity. As I had no one to mourn me, he had nothing to mourn. I worried for his safety so I kept him hidden, our House of Aurelie accepted him with reservations. He had a decade to prove he was a capable Sanguine.

To my great pride he proved that what was asked of him within a year but I relegated him into the shadows as rumours of an impending reveal grew with possible truth. He would be the first of a generation that could hold their true identity in the world of humanity as well as ours. I owed Eric the opportunity I never had and whilst no one missed me, there were those that missed Eric.

I looked forward to this change in times, yet the cause of it was less settling. Our relations with the Impurus ebbed and flowed in varying degrees of turbulence. The standoff had been tense for many decades now and intelligence reports had reflected organisation of breeding programs.

They were gathering an army, so the Houses of Sanguine knew they could not stand idle. We could never compete with their ease of procreation, the probability factor never lay favourably on our side. However, we held the light where they were relegated to eternal darkness. Exposing them along with ourselves secured the hierarchy and the power base.

My sympathy had always gone out to the Impurus. My intended unlife had been as a mere prop for my maker under the instruction of my grandsire. I was a disposable human and expected to be a single use exercise. I was simply the material for a lesson in turning. To be staked upon rising, for the Sanguine never sourced their children amongst what they considered unworthy humans like myself. I didn't even have a first name that I remembered, let alone a last one.

Godric was the name my grandsire christened me with. Despite the Roman origins of my grandsire he chose the Anglo Saxon name that meant rules with power of god. I was simply 'boy' or 'slave' before that. When I proved a more impressive specimen than my maker, the honour was bestowed upon me to carry our House's name, Aurelie, as my last.

My birth had been a serendipitous one just like Eric's and my full name carried that reverence. If Eric continued to prove himself with the strength he had displayed so far, it would not surprise me that he too would carry the Aurelie name alongside his own at some point in his existence.

As indicated by the headstone that was carefully being secured into the hold of fabric belts, his name would remain Eric Northman for now. Sookie had chosen to adorn the slab of stone with carved lilies of the valley. She would have chosen it for the meaning of return to happiness and its Christian significance in her bible. She was most certainly unaware that the flower was the reigning symbol of our house of Aurelie.

It is said a lily of the valley stood in affection for a nightingale that sang above it night after night. The lily of the valley fell in love but was too shy to show herself. When the nightingale no longer came, she waited for him in vain and out of sadness she never bloomed again till the nightingale returned to her in May.

To our house it stands symbol for our successful retrieval of our full blooded children and their continued devotion to us. I had always disliked it for this reason, the discrimination of those considered imperfect. There was beauty to be found there.

Tonight that legend held meaning for me for the first time. It was not unlike the path Eric and Sookie had walked apart these years, only for the creature of the night to return to the other finally ready to bloom. She had not fallen in love with his nightly song but she had told me his mind had spoken kinder words of her than any other.

Nor was she as painfully shy as when I had observed her that first time. Despite struggling to retain control of Eric's estate she had grown to be a woman in a right of her own, the only resurgence of that early hesitance surfaced whenever in Eric's presence.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," the little blossom spoke after clearing her throat. She made a small wave to the camera that was set up so Eric's sister and Louvelle could join us for the ceremony. Sookie fumbled at the sharp corners of her index cards before continuing. "The last time I stood here with a congregation it was just me, my brother and Lovisa. None one of us really knew what to say then, his sister and I were unwilling to resign to the finality of it all. Eric deserved to be remembered and that's why we stood here. It was a cold and windy day and Lovisa said Eric would have liked the chill, never having adjusted to the warm climates of Louisiana. Though I hardly knew him then, I knew _of_ him.

"Through Lovisa, his things, his actions. Eric Northman was an admirable man to me then but his true character showed in the little things that no one else seemed to see. He never stopped visiting his grandmother long after she forgot who he was. I read many letters of his former employees that said he would always help them out when the need was there, whether they had asked for his help or not."

Sookie pulled nervously at the next card though she seemed to be reading from memory. "Eric was no saint," she continued to which everyone attested with a round of laughs. It occurred to me then it was the first time I saw a true smile grace my son's face since that day ten years ago.

"The boy toys and Corvette stand witness to that. He made my brother envious with the remnants of his life. But I'll always remember the first time we met. He was by far the richest and…" A small cough escaped her as she lowered her volume, "handsomest man in the room but he never treats anyone as less than himself. It's rare as a waitress to be treated with that level of respect but it was even rarer for me as a person. I never wanted any of the things he left to me but I am thankful that he did. It's how I got to know him when he couldn't be around to meet." Her hands shuffled once more to the last of the cards.

"This is the place where Eric entered back into my life and though I wished he'd have come out of hiding sooner, so he could have dealt with his crazy ex-wife." A small tear escaped from the corner of her eye with the intended humorous statement but it only sought to highlight the moments of struggles her life had been without Eric's presence.

"But I'm glad that he did. For that this spot should not stand as a monument to his death, it should stand testament to new beginnings," she paused briefly before warmly looking up at my son. "Welcome back Eric." Her last sentence was repeated by some of the other attendees as Sookie gave a curt nod to the operator of the excavator who proceeded to pull the stone from the ground.

Eric took possession of the stone as soon as it was released whilst Sookie planted two rose bushes in the disturbed ground. Pamela held an upturned nose at the sight of Sookie's dirtied hands and at that I couldn't help but throw a clump of dirt on her virgin white dress suit. We both knew the dirt was too dry to set a stain but the minute changes in her facial expressions informed me she was incensed nonetheless.

"Unfuneral," I whispered innocently in defence, indicating how important this was to Sookie and she best not fly out in rage.

"You're lucky I like her more than you," she returned brushing off the offending soil. In apology I hovered Pamela and myself over the path back to Sookie's ancestral home. It still stood empty but for tonight the living room held a large round table that was tastefully decorated with the same candles and roses by the gravesite. Here it didn't feel like a place of passage anymore but rather it spoke of celebration.

We all sat down in our assigned seats after which Eric held a speech of thanks to all those present to celebrate his defiance of death. Glasses were raised and people merrily drank and ate into the early hours of the night. My eyes danced across the table as I once again took in what travelled between my son and his intended. They spoke without words just like then, but I did have insight into Eric's range of emotions now. I had felt his paralysing fear earlier when Sookie answered Pamela she probably would be saving Eric's plot for herself now.

I knew I had neglected to prepare him for the inevitability of death for the non-immortal we associated ourselves with. His draw to Sookie had prevented me from doing so, I did not want to ruin something that felt so pure in spirit. I had described it as tingles back then as I had no reference for it myself.

She had held an affection for him beyond the grave. She would not have been so upset otherwise with what she had termed Eric and Pam's highhandedness in reacquiring her home through manipulation. Thankfully Sookie had come to reason when she discovered it was through my conscientious actions that her former home was hers again. I didn't truly understand her upset till I sat on Sookie's couch not many nights ago.

A human man once told me true love is the only thing that survives death. I had laughed at the irony at the time, as I was a survivor of death and it had nothing to do with love. That night I had understood it in its entirety. She had built up a high moral character for Eric and my gesture had momentarily shattered that. That had been the cause of the upset, not the set of keys that rested firmly in her grasp.

I was only granted any semblance of love when I proved formidable in my skills and aptitude. Pamela held me dear despite of it. She liked me for who I was not what I could mean to her. I was reminded of it during Sookie's speech, Eric had been like that as a human. Never one to see anyone as less than, despite his fortuitous upbringing. He deserved my love for him and I have given it to him freely, though I have never been good at expressing it.

"How does Eric know a prepubescent wolf?" the man next to me asked. His name was Alcide Herveaux and he was the head of Sookie's security team. They had been invited by her to join the dinner feast. I had never socialised with weres before.

Many had worked for me but as a rule weres circumvented Sanguines in fear of what we could do to their entire bloodlines if they aggravated us. The houses of Sanguine considered themselves to be the echelon of the supernatural order. Only to be rivalled by the Fae but they have been extinct since long before I was born.

"She is the groundskeeper's daughter at my estate," I offered in explanation. I had allowed Eric his friendship with the little were since it seemed to be helping him along with his memory better than my attempts. I was never one for adhering to the required etiquette anyhow and saw no harm in it. "They have a unique friendship."

"Unique, yeah," the werewolf replied in between bites of food before he returned a conversation to his other side. Apparently that was all he wanted to know from me. I was undisturbed by it as it allowed me to observe for the first time that night Sookie and Eric standing ready to collide. Whether it be an eruption or union I was assured it would be entertaining.

He had stolen her away from the table and she had followed him to a darker corner of the room. I didn't tune out their speech this time, for tonight I intended to listen rather than paint the imagery with my mind.

"Thank you for this Sookie," my son said to her sporting that foreign smile. She beamed back, the alcohol that had flowed that night loosening her inhibitions somewhat. She rested her dainty hand on his forearm to steady herself ready to reply.

Instead of the anticipated response she nervously turned her head towards Pamela who was engaging with another Sanguine. Our natural alertness had responded to her upsurge of fear instantly.

"Are you expecting any other vampire guests?" she asked fretfully of Pamela. The uninvited callers answered before my niece could as Molotov cocktails crashed in through the windows from all sides setting the room to flames.

I had expected a crash, a detonation of sorts when the telepath and my son had finally stopped dancing circles around each other and stood to truly meet as equals. Standing witness to the heat, fire and sparks flying between them in conjunction with all the other phrases my son's novels had described about highly anticipated moments such as these. Instead I was forced to stand witness to the inferno that had not been ignited by the heat smouldering between their eyes but from the malicious intervention of fate.

I knew little of what stood to occur from now, but I knew for certain that these were not the images I had conjured up in my mind marking _their_ new beginnings.

**A/N: Updates on this will be twice weekly to start on Tuesdays and Saturdays (days and interval may change at a later date and I'm taking a vacation in August so we'll see how it goes). I will warn that the plot lines for this story progress slowly and the focus will reside on the budding relationships between the different characters. There will be twists and turns but also an exploration of the different facets that build up this universe. I hope you will (continue) to enjoy the chapters ahead. **

**Next chapter will be EPOV picking up right where we left off and a bit of reflection on what happened after the events at the end of Memento Mori.**

**Special thanks to VAlady and treewitch703 for taking the time to pre-read and their invaluable feedback. **


	2. Chapter 2 - Home

Chapter 2 - Home

**EPOV**

She was in my arms exactly where I wanted her to be, but not like this. Not in these circumstances. It was seconds after impact and we were already all secured in Pam's entourage of armoured vehicles. The identical cars were speeding off in opposite directions while Sookie sobbed all over my formerly pristine white cotton shirt. I felt like sobbing myself as she pried herself from my grasp and sought Pam for comfort. It wasn't personal, whatever it was between us we lacked the familiarity that she needed for solace. It stung regardless.

Most of all she was upset for her home. We already had it confirmed, everyone had been safely escorted out, which had been her primary concern. The tears came afterwards, the fire was yet to be contained. Pam's security staff had been slack in their protection. At Sookie's insistence they had allowed themselves to be comfortable in the festive atmosphere. We were at an informal social event, there had been no necessity for Pam's usual overwhelmingly large entourage. Sookie's team of weres had proved more effective, having already caught two of the perpetrators. They had stopped listening to Sookie's disregard of her own safety long ago. Pam's security detail had finally caught the third, from Sookie's mind we knew exactly how many we were looking for.

"I only just got it back," she whimpered between sobs. Her fears for the possible loss of her family home for the second time was gut wrenching. Sookie had shown it to me with such pride just two nights ago when I had sought her out at my grave as she bid goodbye to the other me below the ground.

_We had walked down that same dewy path of green grass to her car just as we did those many weeks ago. It seemed a lifetime had passed us by in between now and the moment that I had returned as vampire. A comfortable silence had fallen between us as she led me back to her newly reacquired home._

"_I see you have upgraded your car," I said with a smirk I couldn't contain. It seemed to be growing on her, Sookie expressed she was already beginning to hate and love the sight of that particular facial expression in equal measures. She informed me Jason's former truck used to be named the pussy wagon but in the state it was now she'd be lucky to attract a reluctant stray cat. I laughed with her knowing it was how she diverted attention away from conversations that should be had._

"_Why didn't you take the Corvette?" she asked of me instead._

"_It didn't feel like me anymore," I answered honestly. I had enjoyed reuniting with the horsepower at my feet but I didn't like revisiting the man I was back then. Nor did I want to hold Sookie in the same regard as the women who had sat in her seat. "Why aren't you driving it?"_

_She gave a small shrug before opening the rickety old door and inviting me in. "Didn't feel like mine anymore," she replied before hesitating. _

_I knew where her mind was headed, she still wanted to return everything to me. I didn't have need for it but she had thus far refused to accept what was once mine should continue to be hers. _

_Cataliades had warned me she would be resistant and stubborn but time would make her agreeable. She had fought every legal battle to the bitter end, refusing to settle till she felt justice was served. She never understood that Freyda wasn't fighting her for the money, she was fighting for recognition as my true wife. Freyda only relented when she found another man that would do just that. _

"_I still remember all the things my Gran taught me to cook in here," she said as she led me into the kitchen. I knew she missed Adele Stackhouse. Like Lovisa and I, we both had held onto our last remaining grandmother longer than our parents. _

"_Maybe you can teach me some," I offered. I had a basic grasp of cooking but beyond my student years I had barely spent time in the kitchen cooking anything beyond breakfast. _

"_That sounds nice," she returned noncommittally. Every time I sidled in behind her she would step forward and out of my reach. "Do you still enjoy eating solid foods?" _

"_Blood is best," I confessed. Hers was proving to be beyond enticing whenever she blushed, I was convinced it came up to greet me at the sight. "I miss human foods when I don't eat them. It's more the sharing of the meal than anything else."_

"_Yeah me too," she responded no doubt missing the presence of her grandmother at her nightly dinner table. "Listen..." we both said at the same time and after some back and forth she conceded to go first._

"_I think we need to discuss your estate," she started in a cool business like tone. I recognised it as one I had used quite often in my working days. I tried to stop her from expanding the conversation any further but she persisted. "We need to start fresh, as the people we are today. I don't want this weighing down upon us."_

_She had her point and I hated to admit it. I had taken Cataliades' council and decided to simply ignore broaching the subject it till she accepted that it was ours together. Now I understood Sookie Stackhouse wasn't going to dance around the elephant in the room with me. Blissful ignorance was a state a telepath never had the luxury to indulge in._

"_If I take it back, we can move on?" I asked wanting the business over and done with. I had already made it clear I'd be pursuing her. I found recognition and acceptance of that in her bouquet of apologies and tearful farewell of the other Eric that had rested in the ground with my absence. If it all had to move back and forth on paper twenty times I didn't care as long as it was ours or hers in the end. _

"_You're just humouring me," she said, the annoyance clearly present on her face. _

_The evening's events had left her emotionally raw and for once that formidable poker face of hers was finally legible to me. It was an accurate truth, money was the least bit of importance to me when alive. It was always a burden and never a prize. It all meant even less to me now._

"_Give it all away if you're so desperate to get rid of it," I responded a little more callous than I intended. "I don't care either way."_

"_You should care!" she expressed in exasperation. She launched herself into the air on the backs of her hands to settle on the high counter behind her. Our eyes rested upon each other almost at an even level and it only made me inch closer to her. Sookie's menacing tone was not unlike Louvelle's when she was impassioned like this. "It's the legacy of _**your**_ family."_

_It shouldn't have taken me by surprise but it had. We were discussing our families throughout the tour of the house. She had indicated every little spot in her home where a momentous occasion for their family had occurred. The house was a testament to the generations that had occupied the modest home. It was how Sookie kept them close, it's why the return of the house meant so much to her. _

_In her view I was simply throwing away the ties that bound me to my human family. I wasn't sentimental like her. I loved my sister dearly. I held the memory of my grandparents with great affection. My relationship to my parents had been turbulent but close to their individual deaths we had made our peace. _

_I had considered Sookie part of my family from the moment she accepted my presence back in her life. Lovisa, or Isa as I had always called her when I was unable to enunciate it coherently as a child, had already been referring to her as '_**lilla syster'**_, little sister, before my return. I had laid claim to her without her knowledge and with that thought I cupped her cheeks in the palms of my hands. For once she didn't retreat, she faced me head on._

"_I care," I whispered as our lips were so close I could feel the heat from hers as my own. "I care for you. You are the reason I chose for an existence beyond mere mortality." My lips moved to the tip of her nose as my thumbs smoothed the skin of her cheeks. "Every time I see you I am reminded all over again. This life that animates mine."_

_Her eyes never wavered as her hands moved to hold on to my wrists. Every step I took towards her another shield was drawn. She never pushed me away despite her cautious stance and when I felt her capitulate, the distance between us was lost. I had not given a kiss this chaste since I answered the first one I received. My fear that she would not respond and once again fortify her defences was false. It was she that deepened the kiss, pulling our hands and wrists down freeing us of our collective confines. _

_Her lips were softer than I had conjured up in my imaginations, they were full and giving not unlike the woman herself. Momentarily mine. She gave way for my hands to rest atop the curve of her hips. I knew I was a man lost then. Nothing would ever feel this good in its innocence and simplicity. What I felt for her ricocheted between pain and pleasure and if this was all she would ever give, it would be enough. I would mourn the loss of it for every single day of my existence in the same way she had grieved for me._

"_I don't need you to be mine," I breathed out against her lips. "I simply want to be worthy of you. Tell me what to do. Anything you ask, my answer will be yes."_

_Her warm hand rested on my cheek as she sought out the oxygen I had deprived from her lungs. The way her eyes pierced sharply into mine made me fear the worst and for once I was right._

"_That's the problem isn't it?" she said to me, though it seemed mostly directed at herself. "I have to go. Stay as long as you like."_

_I let her leave and I stayed as she ran. I toyed with the spare key in my hand as I walked from room to room. I wanted to understand Sookie from the tangible memories that still resided in this house. _

_I spent the longest time in the soft yellow papered room that was her childhood bedroom. The pictures that had been removed from the wall showed how much the sun had ebbed away at the brightness of the original colour. It reminded me of Sookie. The brilliance that was there when I had first laid my eyes upon her had faded in my years of absence. It was not to be explained as a loss of youth, it was the embodiment of her battle scars. _

_She had fought in my name, she was my champion when I was unable. The sum of my inheritance was a pittance to what she deserved in reward. She did not need a 'yes' man, her newfound wealth had undoubtedly surrounded her with plenty of those. Sookie was never meant to be a kept woman. She needed a warrior by her side not a man who indulged her every whim. We needed to fight in order to understand the other, before we could ever hope to make up. _

_I couldn't help but smile, she went to the end of the earth and back for me. Why should I not be expected to do the same? She needed someone to fight on her behalf for once. Luck would have it I was quite adept with a sharpened blade. I had locked down her house and returned to Pam's estate minutes before the first rays of the sun crested over the horizon._

_I lay in bed, rest evading me as I strategized my next move. As ever, Sookie surprised me by reaching out to me before I could. Not with the symbolic gesture of flowers or gifts. It was simply the beauty of her voice as it travelled down the telephone line slightly higher in pitch than her natural tone._

_Her waking hours of the day had been more conducive than mine as she proposed the concept of the unfuneral to me. In all honesty I liked my headstone, it was her undying belief in my continued existence. I knew, however, that physical things were important to her. The upbringing she enjoyed had been filled with metaphors and myth and I knew this would be healing to her. She wanted to celebrate my life, the one I lost but also the continuation of it in my altered state._

_With nothing between us but an electronic line we spoke with greater ease. She was excited that I had agreed and she informed me of her plans. I replied by telling her what I truly wanted, to be surrounded by the people that mattered most to me. I wanted a large round table so everyone could look at one another. I had no desire to sit at the end of a lengthy table as if it were a throne where I had to enthral my guests. For Sookie I wanted her home to smell of the cooking scents of her grandmother. A homecoming of sorts, the recognition that the banner of the Stackhouses had taken residency once more._

On the drive back to Pam's residence I counted my blessings that she had left me behind in her own home to take in every important nook and cranny in great detail. I knew nothing could replace the bumps and dents impressed by time but I was determined to do so regardless.

The evening had been everything I had hoped for, till the unfortunate interruption of the flames. When she had spoken of me in the past, it proved to me she understood that at my core I stood unchanged. The way in which my character had always been publicly portrayed failed to convince Sookie to hold any truth of who I really was. The brief insights into my mind had told her more of me than I had ever shared aloud with anyone else.

For the first time she had expressed her gratitude for what I had bestowed on her. Sookie's telepathy had given her insight into my inner musings but her immersion into my life had allowed her to know me beyond that. Had our situations been reversed I had no doubt her home would have read to me like a storybook of who she was.

Pam soothed her as best she could but she was too long gone from human touch to remember how. Sookie had finally quieted some despite that, as we approached the heavily secured gates of Pam's estate.

I would have preferred to have flown here with Sookie in my arms knowing it was the safest place we could be. Duty lay with the Queen, Godric had already disclosed to me that her royal highness would always have to rely on human modes of transportation.

Her rule had never been under threat, she was fair and progressive. Aptly suited to the new world. That is what my maker had told me but I had to admit I was grossly uninformed on the intricacies of the political playing field at large.

Our high speed was only halted momentarily as we awaited the opening of the monumental double sets of cast iron gates. The forced stop turned into our blessing as the left wing of the impressive mansion exploded filling the night air with noxious gas and surmounting flames. Pam's driver was thoroughly trained and before a piece of rubble could descend onto our vehicle we were backed out on the public road, testing the limitations of the vehicle's velocity to the nearest safe house.

It was then that I stood witness to the fact that Sookie was no ordinary human. The beast that fuelled the warrior inside her emerged. Tears forgotten she looked me straight in the eyes mirroring the fire I had just witnessed in the towering flames.

"We're going to our house," she commanded before pulling her gaze from me to Pam. Apparently these circumstances had halted our 'yours and mine' conversations. "The security is as good as yours. You have the added protection of a human owner who can't be glamoured."

While Pam's safe houses were surely in the name of mortals the secondary attack had confirmed to us this was no longer a random act. They were all just houses now, the safety no longer intact. I had been informed that the tension between the humans of Bon Temps and the recently migrated Impurus had caused relations to strain. Knowing it had been our presence that had possibly torched Sookie's beloved home to ashes was an induction of guilt I never wanted to feel again.

"Do it," Pam instructed the driver without pause.

The area around my former home was deserted in the late hour of the night. At Sookie's request the driver slowed down as she scanned the area for anything hostile, human minds or voids, but she found all was as calm as the empty street. She gave a hesitant look to Pam as we neared the gates of the property. The wards were defined up until the property lines unlike the standard wards granted to a human home. Understanding her hesitance Pam gave an approving nod at which she invited the Sanguine driving the car, Shahbaz, into her home.

Despite Sookie's mental reconnaissance we stayed in the car till the door of the garage was fully down. Our driver scanned the perimeter physically before he gave Pam the all clear to move into the rest of the house. Pam's annoyance with the security protocol was clearly legible on her face.

In the time that I had come to know Pam it was evident she struggled with the restrains that her position placed upon her. Being a queen gave her as much direction over it as one could be afforded but it imposed new ones alongside it.

Sookie and her home were like a Petit Trianon* to her. A refuge from the demands of court life. Though thankfully she left the milkmaid costumes at home. Pam seemed to move around the home with more ease than even Sookie. I dutifully followed into the basement that in my absence had been transformed into a full-fledged vampire approved bunker.

Sookie had set herself to work fitting sheets to the beds. At the apparent lack of help from my fellow vampires I moved in to assist. She smiled at me in gratitude as together we tucked and tightened the corners of every single bed. Fresh towels were placed on top of the newly covered duvets while I strangled the pillows into their fabric hold. At the sight of them she fluffed and straightened them. A small gust of air escaped her nostrils with a poorly contained smile as I caught her guilty face while I had regarded her scrutiny of my ill work.

"Thanks," she said, her eyes no longer haunted with caution. "You're different from them."

"How so?" I couldn't help but ask. There was no denying I was young and had been raised Sanguine in sheltered confines. By appearances I followed suit as expected but her assessment was accurate. I belonged with them by blood but I had yet to shed the skin of my past. I doubted I ever would.

"You're not scared to get stuck in," she said appreciatively before lowering her voice to one that spoke of conspiracy. "Pam thinks manual labour is a disease."

I couldn't help but laugh despite our dire circumstances and she joined in. As I stood disarmed by all that was happening around us she moved. Into me and her arms around me. As our revelry quieted down we held each other for comfort in _our_ house. I couldn't care for what tomorrow would bring, this was home to me.

**A/N: My blog has character banners so if you're curious to see what the driver Shahbaz go visit hisviks dot wordpress dot com or find a direct link to the reference page in my profile. Whenever a little asterisk (*) is in the text you will find an explanation of a term or knowledge that perhaps might not be commonplace. **

***Petit Trianon is a small chateau on the grounds of Versailles where Marie-Antoinette resided in her spare time escaping from the formality that her station demanded of her. She was known to re-enact the simplicity of rural life in exaggerated fashion, most famously herding heavily perfumed sheep and goats in milkmaid outfits. It was something she did in the spirit of the Enlightenment, it is a common misconception that the Royal French Court disregarded or discouraged the movement. The young Royal Couple and their court were avid followers of the literature and pursuits that ironically rang in their demise. Antonia Fraser's biography is an especially good one on the subject as well as Sofia Coppola's cinematic interpretation of the same book. **


	3. Chapter 3 - Memories

Chapter 3 - Memories

**SPOV**

The news wasn't good. There had been similar, well-orchestrated, attacks in New England and Rome. Unlike us they had not been able to detain the perpetrators with the same ease. I doubted they ever would. The ones we held would most likely offer anything informative, they were pawns ready for sacrifice. They wouldn't have been allowed to be caught with such ease otherwise. Vampires, impure or not, never left behind messes that needed to be cleaned up.

Our impromptu unfuneral had most likely given opportunity that was not in accordance with the rest of the attacks. It was messy and ill prepared, the vampires in question had a bravado ill afforded to those who would seek to destroy a queen. I found that out this evening, though it really shouldn't have surprised me that Pam was more than just simply a royal pain.

I blamed myself. Not for dragging everyone out to Bon Temps where my newly repossessed home now stood as a framework of charcoal ready to collapse. Unknowingly I was the Queen's Telepath and I had skirted my duties. With the no contact order from the AVL Pam and I had kept our distance. I assumed Pam had refrained from outing my skill in protection of me but it had come at the cost of her own.

We resumed our friendship the instant it was permissible but the perfunctory task of scanning her household lay unattended. It was something I did on a monthly basis and whenever a new member of staff applied for a position. Eric's return had laid siege to that for months now.

It had been even longer ago that I had been able to enjoy such a large group of people celebrating life in my old family home. The evening was set to return me to my home. I know my Gran would have swelled with pride as the aromas of her food scented the air while the empty space was filled with life and laughter again. It was what she had always instilled into me of what a home should be, the animated life that was inside it rather than the bones that held it up.

I never understood that analogy so accurately till Eric was holding me up in his embrace while my bones gave way. That's where I found my solace with the thought that my house no longer stood erect. We held on to each other longer than what would be considered appropriate. He basked in my warmth while I held onto him for strength. I don't know why I abandoned this for Pam in the car, I couldn't find the comfort I sought then as I felt it now.

My thoughts of my brother was the only thing that motivated me to remove myself from his arms now. I reminded him of his promise to Louvelle and his sister to check in once he was safe and secure. With reluctance we disengaged and I couldn't help but notice his delight in our equal averseness to the movement.

I didn't know what to think of his friendship with the young werewolf. I feared the girl was infatuated with Eric and he was unknowingly indulging her. I most certainly would have been taken by Eric at her age. As I spoke to her through the image of the webcam earlier that evening I understood why Eric considered her a friend.

Louvelle was completely different to the children I knew of her age. Her maturity had yet to catch up with her inherent wisdom. She offered a perspective to the world that could only be granted from someone so young who knew more than most. Nothing had narrowed her mind yet and I hoped it would remain so.

As a telepath there were few people whose mind I actually wanted to enter. Godric's was one, the fact that I couldn't made him all the more enticing to interact with. Louvelle's mind intrigued me and I had yet to develop a skill that reached across the bandwidth of the internet connection. She was most interested in what I thought of Eric and if we had exchanged words of love yet.

We had barely interacted enough to be considered a first date even with the most inclusive definition of the word. We were a walking and talking romantic comedy to her, if we allowed for it she would follow our interactions with a webcam all day.

I was hardly able to answer the penetrative questions she posed of my relationship to Eric. It was only through Eric's interception and with her approval that I was relieved from the inquisition. Though I was convinced her blood ran closer to Spanish than French. Everything had escalated from that point onwards, from fires and explosions to here. Interned to the basement of my home in full lockdown mode.

I had spent one night like this before under false assumptions of a legitimate threat. It was Pam's fault. She had decided to throw me a surprise birthday party knowing I never wanted it to be a large thing. It had somehow escaped her I was a telepath and overheard everyone preparing for the great reveal while I was bored out of my skull downstairs.

It was a horrible experience and I was sick as a dog for days after for the first time in my life. My weak excuse that I had missed out on the sun was a feeble one but it was what I had chosen to believe. It was most likely the alcohol I consumed to forget my solitary confinement of the day.

With the assurance that Jason was safe and secured by a secondary team provided by Alcide I finally acknowledged my fatigue. The wolves had returned to their usual posts and I sensed a few extra ones which I was sure belonged to Pam. I checked their minds for any ill intent but found them all loyal to her.

There was little point in trying to fight my sleep, if we came under attack now there was little that could save us. The bunker would only hold anyone off for so long, I rested my head in assurance that if that were to happen I would be flown out by Eric. He'd already saved me once tonight and I was sure he wouldn't hesitate to do so once more.

I recognised the signature of his void as it stood guard at my door. I vaguely heard some scratching noises but I knew no rodent could penetrate these walls. It must have been something else and as I tried to establish what it was slumber erased my thoughts.

I woke remembering nothing of my dreams as the previous evenings events flooded my mind. A surprise lay on the pillow beside me. I turned on the dim light on the bedside table and noticed Eric's distinguished form lying motionless in the double bed across the room.

I picked up the bundle of papers wrapped in string from the pillow that lay unused in my bed. As I released the stack from its confines I took in drawing after drawing of my former home on Hummingbird Lane. Every little detail I had shown him was expertly captured on the bright white sheets of paper.

Tears escaped from my eyes. Not for the loss of my home but for the beauty of what he had captured. No photograph could compete with it nor could reality. He had caught the images as they existed in my mind. This gift was richer than any I had ever received.

With reverence I carefully placed the sketches back in the order he had arranged them and tied the string back in place. The sleeves of my nightgown were used to dry my eyes as I took in the time. I should have attended to my complaining bladder and stomach but I didn't.

I left my bed for his.

I rested my head to the moderate heat emanating from his chest, the heavy duvet cocooning us into a world of our own. I drank in the scent of him, the cooking of my grandmother was intermingled with the iron rich smell of graphite and a hint of ash. Beyond that lay the smell that he had carried even when his heart had beat in tune with mine. It called of winter; that uniquely cleansed smell of snow washing away at the earth.

Our hibernation was interrupted by a gentle nudging from Pam who couldn't resist carrying a knowing look of events that didn't take place. Reluctantly I left the warm spot I had inhabited for a few hours leaving Eric alone to his day rest. I pulled on a warm sweater to make myself somewhat presentable before following Pam out. The situation must be really serious as she refrained from commenting on the train wreck that was my improvised ensemble. There wasn't even a hint of a discriminating brow.

They needed my voice to access a secure line. I had always intended for Pam to be added to the security protocol, she was the one who had pushed for this specific outfit after all. If by some miracle all was back to normal I would definitely be putting in that call with the installers.

Godric, Pam and Shahbaz set to teleconferencing to unknown vampires around the world. I think I overheard some French and Latin but I couldn't be sure as I spoke neither. My bladder's hostile threats were finally met and I returned from the bathroom in what would be a Pam approved outfit under normal circumstances.

Shahbaz joined me in the kitchen as I set to improvise a meal. Unfortunately the Royalty Blended never kept long and the stock of True Blood I kept down here had expired. Nothing like an actual emergency to remind you to keep track of these things. Shahbaz turned out to be a keen cook and he was far more than Pam's driver.

He was a member of the Guard of Anûšiya, a regiment of elite warriors. Even among the ranks of the Sanguine they were held in high regard. There were 10,000 of them not one more and not one less. They stood at the command of one Lord Commander and not their maker. They could not procreate lest one of them died. Whoever they turned when their numbers stood below that magic number would turn Sanguine, their line was never plagued by the mutations. The child was a Sanguine or truly dead. Hailing from Mesopotamia they were known as the Persian Immortal as their great number never died down.

As one was defeated the next would step in, the process of turning being instant with the transfusion of the blood. Three days in the ground were obsolete. The distending of the fangs was the most painful part of the instant transformation as new life coursed through their veins. That extra pain fuelled those warriors to greater heights in their first moments as a Guard of the Anûšiya. As fascinating as it all sounded I hoped I would never have to witness it. I had experienced enough upheaval for one night.

While ten thousand men of superior skills was once an army that brought even the bravest to tears, these days the number was less impressive with the growing populace. They were spread out over the world in the service of the royal houses. I had seen Shahbaz spar with a group of human men at Pam's estate once. I now understood these were the mortals he surrounded himself with, who stood at the ready to step in should he or one of his fellow guards die.

The most promising of their legion, like Shahbaz, were put into hibernation pools of blood for centuries. Only roused to be fed the blood of their commandant on sacred days. They captained the smaller units under direction of the Lord Commander. I listened with captivation as we cooked a meal from frozen ingredients while he simultaneously shared the stories of the battles he had fought.

Shahbaz was surprisingly chipper given our situation. I wished he would share the cause of his optimism with me. Maybe his legion of immortals were coming to secure us by sunset but like much in Pam's world it was obvious some things would be shared with me and a whole host of other things never would. As far as I could tell even Eric wasn't fully informed on everything either.

When the stew we had been slaving away at neared completion, nightfall had started to set in and I went to check on the only slumbering vampire. As I peered into the room, with the door set slightly ajar, it still seemed blissfully silent. I yelped a little when what I had presumed was an unmoving boulder suddenly animated to life.

He greeted me with a 'hey' and I returned with a 'hi'. The uncombed softness of his hair made him look boyish. It was an endearing sight and it reminded me he really was young like me despite his immortal status. Godric and Pam would always appear to be younger than the both of us but in this moment in time we were the spring to their winter.

"Were you with me in the bed?" Eric asked me with a hint of confusion. As if he wasn't quite sure of what his body was telling him held any truth.

I wouldn't be able to lie about that if I tried. Eric's heightened senses would always be vastly superior to my attempt at subterfuge. Despite leaving the bed hours ago my scent would linger there. Pam's nose seemed to be especially sensitive to it, she would still smell the presence of a were in my home days later.

"I hope that was ok?" I posed still leaning against the wooden door. The sharp ray of light entering the room from behind me only illuminated the right side of his face. On most, the shading would turn the gentle features on a face sinister. With Eric it suited, darkness and light rolled into one.

My appreciation of it was interrupted as he flicked on the bed side light. His eyes were bright with the injection of lumens. It reminded me of our days in the diner when the sharp light of the sun would make the sky jealous with the clarity and colour of his blue eyes.

"It's more than ok," he replied, to which I let out a small sigh of relief I didn't know I was holding onto. I honestly don't know how well I would have taken it had our situations had been reversed. "I would never chase you from my bed," Eric continued before patting a spot beside him on the bed. His tone implied a leer but his eyes didn't. "Please," he repeated the movement when I didn't immediately make to move.

I obliged and sat on the edge just far enough away to be out of each other's immediate reach. "The drawings are beautiful," I said with gratitude. "They're as if you drew them from my memories. Sometimes I think it's like you know me better than myself."

"I just like to view the world through your eyes," he offered with a kindness I was still unaccustomed to.

I took a moment to consider what he meant to say with that. My telepathy burdened me with the thoughts and musings of so many others. It was rare that I enjoyed the alternate perspective of another's mind. I just couldn't imagine someone actually desired to do so.

I turned my gaze back to him, the hands that sat underneath my thighs were becoming numb with the weight of my own body. He looked at me with anticipation before I answered, "Do you like what you see?"

His answer was given without a moment of pause. "How could I not," he offered sincerely. "You're different from everyone else." My eyes fell to the floor when he used the word to describe the out of the ordinary. It wasn't the first time that I felt like a curiosity to another's scrutiny and it wouldn't be the last. Never had it made me feel good.

Only through the pressure released by his weight from the bed did I know he didn't just teleport in front of me. The spot where my eyes had rested was now inhabited with his kneeling form and his penetrative stare. This proved he knew me better than myself once more.

"Unique, distinct, extraordinary," he spoke with reverence. With that I understood the word as he had spoken it, not as I had chosen to hear it. His next confession caught me unaware. "I lost all my memories when I was turned. Until the Great Reveal Godric saw no use to recover them. The image of you was the first thing that made me remember. For you were so out of the ordinary. You were memorable where everyone else had faded to the background of my mind."

The immeasurable depths of his eyes urged me to believe him. There was no need for it, he had never lied to me. His mind had never betrayed the words spoken from his mouth. It was me who had a hard time accepting, once more, the kindest words now spoken to me. I allowed myself to be warmed by them rather than disregard it as placation.

"You lost all your memories?" I asked suddenly comprehending everything he said. Eric nodded in confirmation, a hint of pain residing alongside the memory of it. "I was asked to help an amnesiac once but their mind had been a scary place to me. It wasn't like a vampires' mind, your voids indicate a presence inaccessible to me. It was just emptiness, a black hole full of helpless thoughts."

It was now his eyes that darted to the floor to a spot where I immediately sank to my knees. I pulled him into my embrace, for his comfort instead of mine. He didn't say anything but I felt the relief wash over him, thawing the frost. I decided then I was seriously going to kick Godric's ass for thinking Eric had no use for his old memories. When I told Eric of my intentions he didn't try to dissuade me, no he simply laughed. Then I joined.

We understood each other, sometimes better than ourselves. Our world may be falling to pieces around us or be exactly the same when we come out. However complicated it was, however dire the news, this confinement had brought us here in each other's arms. I may no longer have a home of my own but it was close enough. These were the foundations my Gran had always spoken of.

**A/N: A character banner has been made for little Louvelle, although I doubt the actress who portrays her will be a surprise to you. Find it through the direct link to the FTI reference page on my profile or navigate to the FTI page at hisviks dot wordpress dot com. **

**Saturday we will see Eric's POV again as he and Sookie share a bit of their pasts apart.**

**Special thanks to VAlady and treewitch703 for taking the time to pre-read and their invaluable feedback****. **


	4. Chapter 4 - Supper

Chapter 4 - Supper

**EPOV**

Sookie had managed to surprise me once more. It had me wondering if it would continue to be a reoccurring theme. Her description of the murky state my brain had resided in when I did not know who I was quieted me. The accuracy was haunting. Her embrace was beautiful. I wanted to own every piece of her because this I refused to share.

Added to that, she intended to cuss out my maker for his bad parenting. Only she would have the audacity to call out one of the most powerful creatures walking this earth because he failed to see what was so clear to her.

I couldn't stop myself. Nor did I want to. She needed to know, so the words tumbled out of my mouth. "I love you." I wasn't expecting a reply or a reciprocation. She was barely processing me being in a state of some sort of life.

"I know."

Of course she knew. She heard it in my mind all those years ago although I had spoken those words as a question to myself then. _Could I be in love with her? _It had been a fleeting thought, not understanding the grasp of the statement. I had answered with yes regardless.

I had told many I loved them and aside from family those words never held any truth. I had no real grasp of the concept until my eyes and heart had found Sookie. Not ever had I uttered those three words to anyone. Supplemented with the obligatory too when required, yes. Even as I spoke them then I recognized it for the lie that it was. The falsehood was an easier one to carry than to hold out for the real thing. I was a man weak to my loins.

I should probably have never told Freyda when she demanded to hear it over the phone once. Looking back, it was the beginning of our collective demise. I gave her something and then proceeded to prove she wasn't worthy of the words. I hadn't even said the words out of obligation. I had done it so she would stop hounding me for it and I could get back to whatever I was doing at the time. I'm pretty sure it was another woman.

We both knew the comfort of our embrace had lasted too long and her grumbling stomach gave us both an excuse to ignore her embarrassment over it. The smell of the cooking had come second place to the scent that surrounded me when I woke up. As delighted that I was with the smell of her in it, simultaneously I knew I was alone in the bed and in the room. I doused myself in it despite that, as if it were a costly perfume.

The evidence was there, she had slept beside me for a while. When she had come to check on me my unsure question was confirmed with the truth. I had almost been scared to think I had merely imagined it and had steeled myself for another correction of my assumptions.

"Let's get you fed," I said lifting her of her knees with a helping hand. "It smells good."

"I hope you like it," she said with an appreciative smile. "We had to improvise with what was there. Unfortunately the blood stock is past its due date. I hope you like stew."

I seated her at the candlelit table. The other vampires of our party had taken their meal to the control room. It would be romantic under any other circumstances, a home cooked meal by candlelight. Tonight however the candles were merely for Sookie's benefit considering the poor illumination of the emergency lights. The food was nourished with her care that much was clear to me from the moment I took a first taste. She was happy to acknowledge my compliment of her cooking though she did give some credit to the apparently multi-talented driver. I kept my annoyance of their time spent together deeply burrowed, though my maker seemed to peer into the room briefly carrying a questioning look at the same moment.

"I would have offered my own blood if you were all in need of it," she said startling me with her charitable nature. Of all the things I would want her to be generous with, her blood assuredly wasn't one. I didn't know if it was because I was so drawn to her but it called to me like no other. The scent was heavenly, inducing me into an altered state on just that alone. "I'd make a terrible meal for four."

I laughed politely at her quip. "Have you ever given your blood?" I asked though I really only wanted to hear that she never had. Thankfully she shook her head in compliance to my desired answer.

"I know it's not just food to you all," she offered in explanation. "I gave Pam permission that I'd be a donor in emergencies. Blood emergencies that is."

I chuckled at that. Without that addendum I'm sure Pam would have been hitting her up for sexual deprivation more often than not.

"You never dated a vampire? Our lack of thoughts must be an enticing aspect in a partner?" I asked because I like to torture myself with my own jealousy. She looked at me as if she wanted to say something but held back.

"The resident vampire of Bon Temps asked me out once," she said after some contemplation. It reminded me that I never sent in that check to repair the dent I caused on that vampire's car. As a Sanguine I wasn't required to but I felt the need to make the payment. "I was hesitant. Some men only talk to your breasts but with him it was like he was talking to what lay waiting in my veins. I felt like the drug of choice for a junkie who needed his fix." Her whole body shivered with disgust at the memory of it.

With that information I was happy I never sent the Impurus the monetary repair. I might even be inclined to add to the damage.

"I think Pam scared him away after I refused his advances for a second time," Sookie said in between two bites. Forget extra dents I was going to crush his car. "He's been cordial ever since."

"You're not officially Pam's are you?" I asked with worry. It was clear to me they had no physical relationship but they were unusually close and I wondered how far Pam's protection reached and whether it would interfere with my own goals to be with Sookie.

"She'd like that," Sookie smiled. I was sure Pam would and was plotting every moment. I would. I am. "But no."

Relief seemed to be the word of the evening as her answers seemed to be providing me with just that in response to every nerve wrecking question I dared ask.

"Are you anything else besides a telepath?" When she didn't seem to grasp the full extent of my question I supplemented, "You're unlike any being I've ever come across and that's disregarding my attraction to you. Are you something other than human?" I had refrained from using the word different again. I knew it triggered something within her, it was an accurate adjective to describe her but her mind dwindled on the negative definition of it.

"I don't know," she replied softly. "I was born like this. I asked Pam once and she said it was possible but she didn't know. Meet any other telepaths while you were gone?"

I shook my head. Even if I did, they wouldn't have interested me as much as this one. "Godric told me he only ever met the one," I said reaching over for her hand. I squeezed it softly. It was clear to me that the source of her telepathy was a vulnerable subject to her. "Turns out it was you."

"So that's how you figured it out."

"No," I offered. "Louvelle takes the credit for that, and she took my credit card along with it in triumph."

She laughed delicately at the thought of a young child unmasking her well-guarded skill and robbing me blind in the process. Apparently handing out my money to the women in my life was a behaviour I'd never relinquish. Thankfully the women that I indulged that with now were the ones I actually cared for. Despite the harsh reverberation of her giggles on the concrete walls I knew from that point onwards as long as we were laughing we would be ok.

"Why did you never ask me to be your mistress?" she asked when her laughter died down. I wasn't prepared for such a serious question after her amusement but I intended to answer honestly nonetheless.

"Would you have said yes?" My question was just as inquisitive as hers. It took her an extended moment to gather her thoughts.

"It wasn't worthy of the woman who my grandmother raised me to be, but back then I probably would have," she spoke so easily, from this I knew that like me she had entertained a few 'what ifs' of her own. "Yeah."

We sat silent for a moment. There was no doubt in my mind that we were both thinking the same thing, what could have been. I had run the scenario several times and in my mind I knew for certain the outcome would never have been good. We would have poisoned each other within our confinements and if we didn't Freyda would have. There was no room for love in my life back then and Sookie didn't deserve to be a victim of the toxicity that was my marriage.

"That's why then." Her eyes raised up from contemplation to meet mine. Our meal lay forgotten, we'd had our fill and our conversation seemed more nourishing than anything else.

"I don't understand why you hold me in such high regard." I hated her self-doubt but I understood it. Despite the extraordinary nature of her gift, it was a handicap at the same time. I understood it because I had lived it. I proved to be an extraordinary Sanguine in my first years but my mind was handicapped without my memories and I couldn't help but feel ostracized for it. Whether it be by my own mind or the actions of others.

Venom was always capable of attacking from both sides, intended or not. I knew she endured far more than I ever had and at ages where such actions could be crippling. Yet she persevered, it was an enduring quality that prevailed above all others. With it was her resistance to accept what I attempted to make her understand. Unfortunately for her my persistence rivalled hers.

"I know you're worth more than anyone has ever been willing to give to you," I said knowing I was venturing into dangerous territory. The issue of my inheritance was a subject between us that was yet to be resolved and I was a tactical bastard that wouldn't let this opportunity pass. In this situation she couldn't run from me or the conversation, so I went all in. "That includes myself."

The lovely colour of her pink stained cheeks sank away to a pallor that didn't suit her. It reminded me of the comment she had made to Pam the night before. She intended to use my vacant grave as her own one day. While I usually valued pragmatism, in that moment I couldn't and now I knew it as truth. She could never be a vampire because with the loss of her beautiful golden skin tone that innate light that was uniquely her would vanish along with it. I could never be the cause of the world's loss of that.

"Eric I…" she started but I interjected her knowing her response wasn't anything I wanted to hear or would help our conversation along.

"I will never be able to thank you enough for how you withstood in my years of absence," I started while my grasp of her hand became firmer than it should. Her body was searching for distance that in this moment I refused to grant. "The way you took charge and held everything upright proved to me I made the right choice. Everything my family had built was granted safety under your stewardship. You pretty much negotiated a divorce with Freyda I could only dream about. Those are the things I care about. Numbers on my bank account leave me cold." She was quiet and I let her be.

"All right then," she said after some contemplation of my words.

"So you'll keep it all?" I asked, hopeful we were done with what appeared to be the sword of Damocles* hanging over the beginnings of our relationship. Threatening at any moment to sever the beginnings of a tie.

"I didn't say that," she responded with terse lips. "But I'll consider it without flat out rejecting it."

It wasn't what I wanted to hear but it was close enough. She had stopped running away from me for now. I knew I'd always be chasing her but then I never enjoyed an easy conquest. As long as she was in my grasp I could live with that. Like Sookie said, I was never scared to get my hands dirty.

When I stood to clean the dirty dishes she halted my hands. "Leave it for now," she urged. "This might be the only peace and quiet we get for a while." I returned to my seat and she pulled my hand back in its former stance. It was nice, like we were any other couple enjoying the aftermath of a good meal. Well if you squinted a bit and forgot the cinderblock walls and utilitarian atmosphere.

"Sure," I replied happy to enjoy the moment of silence with her. "But I'm doing the dishes and I'll rope in the others by their fangs if I have to."

"I can't wait to see Pam on drying duty," she smiled back at me. "Honestly I don't think Pam would know what to do with a kitchen towel. She might mistake it for fashion accessory."

"How did you and Pam meet?" I pondered aloud. I had probed Pam plenty on her relationship to Sookie but she had always remained tight lipped, so I had stopped incessantly beating on her for answers. She invoked some sort of sisterhood ban on selling out Sookie's private conversation. Isa had been similarly hesitant on revealing the intricacies of her relationship to Sookie. It all fell like a giant conspiracy to keep me deliberately in the dark because despite knowing so much about her on paper I know that veneer barely covers what lies beneath.

"Charity function," she replied before taking a sip of her water. "We were seated next to each other. Don't remember the cause though, I've been to too many I guess. She'll know, she has a memory like a vault." I knew the feeling, I had attended far too many of those anonymous events in the past, so they all tended to just blur into one long never ending evening.

"She told me my dress was atrocious and I agreed with her," she continued. "No one ever really talks to you at those things. It's all niceties and fakery but she was real and I liked that. We've been friends ever since. And she's dictated my wardrobe from that point on."

"I like you like this," I complimented. She was wearing casual clothes; jeans, simple white t-shirt and a well draped soft cardigan in a beige colour. It had enhanced the feel of our embrace earlier, she was all comfort. She didn't have a speck of make-up on and despite how enchanting it made her look the evening before, I liked her bare of it. This felt like a person I could reach and to prove my point for once she thanked me for my praise.

"Your world was quite an adjustment to make," she confessed. "It was weird that people liked me. That they put up with my quirks because I had money all of a sudden. It gave me an instant respect that I didn't think I deserved. Pam helped me navigate between the ass kissers and the ones who were actually worth my time."

I knew the sentiment well, despite growing up in an egalitarian society being rich from birth always came with privileges that were unfounded in relation to accomplishments. At the same time any achievement I ever made on my own was always attributed to my family name or fortune. It's why I had taken the position in Louisiana, so I could prove my worth without the stigma of the family name. Freyda had, however, continually dropped the importance of my last name to anyone who would listen.

"So am I?" I asked.

"Are you what?" she returned, her mind obviously lost to somewhere else.

"Worth your time?" It was a redundant question. I simply wanted my ego stroked, considering the careful path we were treading it would be the only thing to get stroked by her for a while.

"Yes," she answered without hesitation. "I meant it what I said at your grave that first time. I felt cheated for never getting to know you. Now on top of that you have almost a decade of time to fill me in with."

"I'll be happy to sing for my supper every night," I said to which she smiled. Though I hoped she wouldn't take me up on that in the literal sense. From the sounds I heard coming out of the shower last night it turned out we were pretty much evenly matched when it came to out of tune singing. The Swedish lyrical gods surely passed over me when handing out those golden vocal chords.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" she asked and so I did.

….

….

….

**A/N: For those of you who haven't seen it yet: in celebration of my fanfic birthday this past Wednesday I wrote a silly little one shot called The Doctor is in that has Dr Ludwig setting right some of the wrongs of CH's dead ever after. Please check it out if you like.**

**Special thanks to VAlady and treewitch703 for taking the time to pre-read and their invaluable feedback.**

_*Sword of Damocles [sourced from Wikipedia]: According to the story, pandering to his king, Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority surrounded by magnificence, Dionysius was truly extremely fortunate. Dionysius then offered to switch places with Damocles, so that Damocles could taste that very fortune first hand. Damocles quickly and eagerly accepted the king's proposal. Damocles sat down in the king's throne surrounded by every luxury, but Dionysius arranged that a huge sword should hang above the throne, held at the pommel only by a single hair of a horse's tail. Damocles finally begged the king that he be allowed to depart because he no longer wanted to be so fortunate, realizing that with great fortune and power come also great peril and anxiety._

_The sword of Damocles is frequently used in allusion to this tale, epitomizing the imminent and ever-present peril faced by those in positions of power. More generally, it is used to denote the sense of foreboding engendered by a precarious situation, especially one in which the onset of tragedy is restrained only by a delicate trigger or chance. _


	5. Chapter 5 - Pity Party

_A/N: Sorry posted IAG instead of FTI. A/N below will probably explain why... Thank you Sky for pointing it out!_

Chapter 5 – Pity Party (aka Life in the Dreamhouse)

**PPOV**

Bless Sookie Stackhouse and her weird idea of a party. Had we not gone out last night I would have been caught in an explosion. As a Sanguine we can withstand a lot and even if I had survived such an assault it would have taken me months to be at full strength. Disadvantaged is something I can't afford to be in these newly turbulent times. My ruined custom Zanotti's were the least of my concerns now.

While the two star struck lovers were busy playing house, the rest of us were dealing with the situation at hand. Every fucking Sanguine household had to have their say. I hated the roll call. The philosophy of our house never changed. Honestly, if I were to sire an impure blood I would stake it myself, but it was a choice I wanted to be my own, not one that our familial line demanded of us. I didn't think the lives of the impure were worth living.

We Sanguine move with the times, are considered progressive but the Impurus are stuck. Lost to time and darkness. I see the damage inflicted by the impure blooded in my territory every day. Genocide wasn't my idea of a solution but things were coming to a head and our house's continued exclusive procreation stance was bringing trouble to my otherwise stable queendom. The great reveal was for our sakes not for theirs and I was being presented with the bill now.

Thank goodness for Godric's presence, there's only so much political bullshit I can digest on my own. Godric and I weren't supposed to ever get along. My maker sent me to him because I was in a petulant and self-indulgent stage of my unlife. According to Sookie I'm still stuck in that setting. Godric will attest I was far worse back then.

I was amused when Godric had suddenly appeared unannounced on the eve of a soirée. He was never one to show up without cause and at the sight of Sookie he asked to be introduced. I laughed at him and told him many had tried and failed, including myself. Eric Northman in his assumed death was my personal cockblocker and as magnificent as Godric is I doubted even he could win her over with his modest charm.

Godric worried me when he said he just wanted to know her platonically. While he was made for this existence, just as I, time travelled differently through him. He wasn't the brooding type but he dabbled with depression. His lack of interest in my alluring friend had me concerned for his mental health once more. I had vowed to speak to him of it later that night and despite his lack of sexual interest in Sookie his mood had overturned miraculously in her presence.

I wasn't surprised at that. Sookie has an inner charm and charisma that outshines her natural poise. She isn't a conventional beauty, she's slightly off. Her features are graceful and her smile is radiant, the gap in between her teeth should detract from her appeal but instead it enhances it. As soon as you find perfection you realise how boring it is when confronted with it over and over again. No, true beauty is found in the small imperfections that distinguish one from the herd.

I thought that like any supernatural with a fondness for the female eye Godric had fallen under Sookie's spell. He called me up more often to ask about her than of me. It wasn't till he showed up with my personal tormentor in the flesh that I understood. The obsession over love lost went two ways. A decade apart and Barbie and Ken were still only concerned with what could have been. I cringed at the thought that made me Skipper in this scenario of Life in the Dreamhouse.

I had stood witness to patience, to diligence, but none like theirs. With Sookie I had tried valiantly to help her move on, first in my own selfish pursuits later for her own. I never chased an unwilling woman for long but with Sookie I did and in the process we became friends. I never had a friend before, at least not one like Sookie. All she ever demanded of me was my friendship, nothing else. Our relationship was more pure than any that I have known, including the one with my maker. With that realisation I couldn't care anymore that she would never sleep beside me in bed. As far as I was concerned I had the best of both worlds, an intimate and gratifying relation with one and carnal pleasures with a whole host of others.

I had missed Sookie dearly after Eric's return. Her absence made me realise what a huge part of my existence she filled with her mere presence. I was ready to bite the bitch Nan Flanagan's head off for her annoying edict. It had allowed me to get to know Eric instead. He was still a fledgling as a Sanguine but he was extremely impressive regardless of his age. I finally understood why Sookie had latched on to his memory for so long. He had honour ingrained into him. It was why he was so well suited with Godric.

Sookie has yet to explain properly why she continued to carry a torch for him for so long. When I had asked it of her in the past, all she could come up with was that he thought such nice things about her. That all sounded very 'nice' and 'vanilla' but it hardly spoke of great passion simmering beneath the surface. Yet when they stood in a room together it was there, ready and waiting to unleash itself.

They would never have been able to work out had Eric remained human, as nice as his thoughts were, he disappeared before he could think a bad one of her. Despite how much you love someone a nasty thought will inevitably surface. Sookie had also shared with me that a human's touch was especially assaulting on her mind, so as meant to be as they were back then, it was the transformation and time apart that allowed for it to be able to happen now. The circumstances in which, were of course as difficult as their beginnings. It was clear that nothing would ever be easy for them but I knew from experience that something as special between those two always carried a cost.

I had peered into the room once or twice to distract my mind from the incessant voices wanting to be heard all around the world. The two of them were sickeningly sweet. Somehow Eric managed to get past her natural guarded demeanour, something that had taken me months to accomplish. I wasn't above helping him get things moving along. I regarded him as my brother and the two of them treading waters so carefully was worthy entertainment of distraction from the cesspit that is vampire affairs.

It would be a few more hours before a contingent from the Guard of Anûšiya would arrive to enforce the martial law in my area. The number of Impurus in my area were large because I was known for treating them fairly. It was why it stung to be such a target. Granted there were other Royal Courts that raised members from the Impurus to coveted ranks, I always considered them but I had yet to come across one that fit the post. I refused to simply place one in a position for mere appearances.

I remember with disgust how Sookie's former neighbour had solicited for a job as my procurer, a station that did not exist in my court. He even went so far as to say he was already courting a rare creature for my delight. I never had a need for a procurer and while I fully acknowledge my abhorrence for menial work, my meals are never a difficult task to secure. When I discovered he had been chasing Sookie it took me all the inner calm that Godric had taught me to find, not to end the foul blooded's life instantly.

Apparently Bill Compton had missed the memo that Sookie Stackhouse was under my protection and his punishment would never allow him to forget that again. It wasn't the first time tonight that my mind fell to Bill Compton's name. The close proximity of his home had made me suspicious and I had already issued a warrant for his arrest. The trackers on staff had yet to find a conclusive trace and that had made me even more suspicious of the civil war veteran.

The apprehended vampire trio were known troublemakers. They had clearly taken gain of a sudden advantageous situation. A flammable house full of high ranking Sanguines. I had the unfortunate honour of dealing with them before at Sookie's request, they had been plaguing her former hometown, destroying the reputation we so diligently built up. Liam, Malcolm and Diane could best be described as anarchists. Like most of the impure blooded they fought authority and control. Even when released from their maker they were always held at the control of the Sanguine. We are the haves to their nots.

I have some sympathy for their cause but they have yet to prove they are worthy of carrying the responsibility like we Sanguine do. Our relationship to the human world is barely out of unchartered waters and now our internal struggles were set to rock the boat.

I sighed rubbing at the temples of my head as if I were still capable of getting headaches. Thankfully our teleconferencing marathon seemed to be coming to an end. The head of our house was the only line of connection left. I sat down once more knowing she would not have a conversation with us that was to be considered brief.

"How goes things with your child," Aelia asked of Godric with a lopsided smile. We were both raised to alarm when she continued, "and his intended telepathic bride."

I didn't like this. There was a reason I kept quiet about Sookie and her abilities, at the hands of the Sanguine anything of promise becomes a negotiable tool. I cared for Sookie too damn much for her to be an asset or a toy. My face held the full force of my threatening anger as it was directed at Godric. I knew Sookie had shared her ability with him on the night they had met. It was up to her to whom she shared it with but it was not up to those who knew of it to share that information freely. Instead of finding guilt in Godric's face, his mirrored mine. We were both accusing each other of the same betrayal. Which left Eric.

Godric and I had reached the same conclusion at the same time. His face was strained with the pain of it. Naturally he blamed himself, he had taught Eric much but he had kept him out of the Machiavellian mechanisations of our politics. At our quiet Aelia proved just how cleverly manoeuvring we Sanguines can be when dedicated to that particular craft.

"You thought I would really allow a Sanguine as formidable as he to court a mere mortal," Aelia smiled with a menace only she possessed. "You're losing your touch Godric."

"What is she?" I couldn't help but ask. Everyone including Sookie knew she was something more than human. Not even Godric's vast wisdom had yielded an answer to what she was.

"That's for me to know and for you to find out, poodle," she replied with a saccharine tone that made me gag whenever I heard it. Under normal circumstances I liked Aelia a great deal but when she was out of her familial role we were greeted by her political alter ego that had ruled for millennia with reason. "You have until tomorrow night. I expect you to be there to receive me on the landing strip." With that I knew that things were going to get more painful than getting that particular stripe fashioned on your pubic mound.

Without notice the connection was disconnected. I had forgotten that one could have a brief conversation with Aelia, it was always the announcement to a larger one. Her unexpected presence was never a good sign and added to that our house's apparent interest in Sookie only sought to make me more nervous. I wordlessly followed a determined Godric out to the living area.

"Eric," he commanded with the full force of his two thousand years. Under any other circumstance I would have cackled at the sight of a befuddled Eric being dragged off by Godric at half his height but tonight was not the time for laughter or joy. I gave Sookie a warning look not to interfere and she was smart enough to adhere. I closed the door to our unused bedroom leaving Sookie outside and watched the fear and distress flicker across Eric's face. He was still so easy to read with his exaggerated human expressions. It was almost endearing. Almost.

"What have you told Aelia of Sookie?" Godric demanded with a cool rage that once had me bending to his every command. I still shivered at the memory of it.

The poor boy looked like a puppy with his enlarged eyes. His devotion to Godric was astounding, I recognised it as my own. Godric didn't gain respect through punishment or fear. Instead one suffered in carrying his disappointment of you. It was more crippling than anything else.

"Nothing," he replied quietly. "I only told her I was visiting someone from my past. She told me good luck."

Godric seemed quickly satisfied, their bond functioning as his personal polygraph test. Eric apparently lacked the knowledge to read his maker as his tense demeanour remained without relent. I told Godric in our ancient French tongue to put the boy out of his misery and only received a questioning look in return. An unnecessary gust of air expelled from my lungs as I realised I seemed to be the only one speaking all the spoken and unspoken languages in the room.

"Who have you told of Sookie's telepathy?" I asked the shivering pup. "Our house seems to know of her ability and wants her in the fold."

"Sookie is mine," he growled out as if to prove he was nothing of the infant dog I had just compared him to.

Indeed she was _his_ even before he came back into her life. He was lucky our house had the same objective as he, although I was yet to find out how unscathed they would both come out of that. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the display as Godric seemed to finally catch on and tried to calm his child's flare up through their bond.

"Who have you told?" I demanded again my patience having depleted with my spent energies of the day. There better be a really nice donor waiting when we get out of this lockdown or I swear whether she's Eric's or not I'll be demanding my emergency blood contingency from Sookie.

"No one," he screamed. "I would never betray her like that. I didn't even know what she was for certain till she told me."

Godric gave a minute nod to attest the validity of his statement. I knew the list of suspects was short. The demon lawyer was out of the question he couldn't betray her if he tried, it was imbedded in his DNA. That left her brother, Eric's sister and the little were.

"Louvelle," Godric and I said in unison.

"No," Eric responded vehemently springing to her defence. "She would never."

"Her brother and your sister have both received the laser treatment to avert our glamour," I informed knowing all too well. I had tried bedding them both to no avail. Stupid monogamy.

"If this information was retrieved through glamour it can't be Louvelle," he continued in his denial. "They cannot glamour a were."

Under normal circumstances that would be true but the young girl was not fully matured at her tender age. Even if she wasn't glamoured teenage girls were loose lipped. Whether Eric liked it or not she was the most likely suspect and I didn't refrain from telling him so. Before he could continue his rant of denial a mere look from Godric forced his silence. His petulance wasn't that different from mine by the looks of it.

"Even if she is the one that leaked what difference does it make now?" a soft voice from the door asked. In our heightened discussion none of us had taken in Sookie's sudden presence. "We should be focusing on what we are going to do next. They won't be the first to seek me out for my telepathy and they most likely won't be the last."

We didn't need to blink as vampires but all three of us did in quick succession anyhow.

"You all talk really loud," she said with a tone that was supposed to read as apologetic.

"Who?" Eric asked the worry lacing his eyes.

"FBI, CIA, Mossad, FBS, Interpol and a couple of privately held security companies," she shrugged as if it were completely unimpressive. "I'm lucky I inherited Eric's money. I was too much in the public eye to just disappear from one day to the next. I consult now and then but only for the good guys."

I looked at her aghast, for all the years that we knew each other so well, she had never spoken one word of it. She went on small trips now and then usually dragging her brother along. Now I realised there was far more to those trips than I thought. She always picked the strangest destinations.

"How do they know?" Godric requested in a tone so gentle I hardly recognised it as his.

"I grew up as a struggling telepath in full sight of a town that talks for leisure," she returned with her head leaning on the doorframe. "My long lost cousin tipped off the FBI when she was in need of leniency for her own crimes. And I'm pretty sure those spy rings are as gossipy as the old ladies of Bon Temps. I downplay the effectiveness of it and help with causes my conscious can support. I'm surprised it took the supernatural world this long to catch on."

Within an instant Eric had stood in front of her with his impressive flight and speed. Show off. His hands held her sudden blushing cheeks. The worry in his eyes had transformed to admiration that blew what he held for Godric to pieces.

"God you're beautiful," he whispered to her before plundering her lips.

And so Godric and I stood awkwardly as witnesses to their ever deepening kiss.

Some party this is.

**A/N: True confession; I may be a little intoxicated while posting this (bite me I just delivered a major project and there was cause for drinks) but apparently alcoholic persuasion got my elusive graphic muse working her tiny little brains. She thinks she was funny after reading a snarky comment of Pam's which altered the title slightly and had me spending fifteen minutes drawing up 'unique' character banners. Drunk muse is high on her own hilarity, I will have to see what my pounding brain will think of it in the morning. So I suggest to check out the character banners on my blog (hisviks dot wordpress dot com) while they're still there if you're into that sort of thing ;) **

**The reference page on the blog has been updated outlining Pam's queendom and an explanation on the Guard of Anûšiya. The family tree has also been updated to indicate Aelia's position in the house of Aurelie.**

**Direct links are up on my profile…**

**Story will be back on Saturday with SPOV and we'll finally get out of the basement and some quality E/S time.**

**Special thanks to VAlady and treewitch703 for taking the time to pre-read and their invaluable feedback.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Control

Chapter 6 - Control

**SPOV**

Eric really can kiss like there's no tomorrow. Though I'd like there to be a next day so I can receive another just like this. Soft yet firm but I had yet to make acquaintance with his tongue. So I invited him in by stroking my own at his bottom lip and seeking the defence walls of his teeth. It happened before I realised what I had done. His fangs descended and the soft tissue was lacerated and blood poured from my mouth to his. There was nothing pleasant from that point on as he sucked profusely while the tenderness that was there lay forgotten. It was but a second till he pulled away with eyes dilated and an alarmedGodric stood between us.

His healing saliva had cured the wound but my tongue was suitably numb from the deprivation of blood. My breaths were ragged and I stumbled with my back against the doorframe. I didn't like seeing Eric like this, looking so ashamed. It was my fault not his, I wanted to reassure him of that but I had no interest in discussing the technicality of our kiss with an audience. It was bad enough they were there to witness it in the first place. I gave him an apologetic look but it hardly seemed to register.

Before I could utter a coherent word Godric had whisked him away and Pam pulled me beside her on one of the beds. I didn't want to talk about this with her, Pam had enough dominion over my life as it was. I had always allowed it because it pertained to parts of my life I didn't care about. Eric was not one of those.

"He is young and not well versed with fresh feeds," Pam offered when I remained adamantly mute of what was coursing through my own mind. I refused to look at her in attempt to avoid talking further of it, the blank wall was a particularly interesting sight to me tonight. "From your scent I know you would taste better than most."

I had to roll my eyes at that. Pam had told me this many times and it always made me feel like a tasty piece of meat. It was the only time Pam ever would make me feel uncomfortable and that takes her continued lesbian advances in regard. I initially thought it a ploy to get me to her bed but others had subtly noted on it since. Even the weres in my employ had noted how sweet I naturally smelled. They couldn't just compliment me on the shininess of my hair.

Thankfully we were interrupted by Shahbaz announcing that his brothers in arms had arrived. I was dying for some fresh air and to look at the night sky. To feel like an inhabitant walking the earth again instead of residing in its ground. Unlike the creatures of darkness I seemed to be surrounding myself with, there was nothing healing about the soil to me.

I picked up my pace to disengage the lock that led back to the upper floors. I passed by the bedroom Eric and I had shared and heard whispers of Swedish. I had a hard time gaging Eric's relationship to Godric. I knew Godric to be an exceptional person but from what I had understood so far he hadn't always placed Eric's best interest first. I was still reeling from the knowledge that, were it not for the Great Reveal, Eric would have been doomed to an eternity as an amnesiac. No matter how many new memories he would have made he would always be walking around with a hole in his soul. One that had nothing to do with me.

I knew from Pam the maker child bond was complex. According to her, the one who made her held her heart the dearest but could punish her like no other. It wasn't physical punishment that caused the damage. That would be a useless exercise with the Sanguine, they healed instantly and what would cause great pain to an Impurus or a mortal would feel like a small slap to them. Obedience amongst the Sanguine was cultivated through that unique bond. Disappointing their maker weighed heavier on them than anything else. It was almost as if it were ingrained into their DNA, their wellbeing rested on the approval of their parent.

Pam had lost a recently turned cousin when his maker unexpectedly perished. He couldn't live without the support or reprimand of his maker. He withered away and died without cause. Pam had been particularly fond of him as they were turned in short succession of each other. It took Pam a good couple of decades before she was able to suffice without the constant presence of her maker. She had admitted that the sexual component of their relationship had complicated things further so perhaps that was not the norm.

Pam suspected Eric and Godric's relationship wasn't as complex as hers and I hoped she was correct in that assumption. I would never wish to be the human in between a maker and his child. There was no use to even attempt to compete as such.

I invited the list of names Shahbaz had written out phonetically for me in order for them to pass the threshold of the wards. The squadron of expert fighters was quite the sight as they kneeled down in the patch of grass in fealty of Pam. The procedure was repeated when Godric emerged besides Pam. A convoy of armoured vehicles stood ready and waiting for Pam and her company to leave. Eric had yet to appear from the confines of the basement this entire time.

Godric and Shahbaz seemed to take command of the Guards of Anûšiya while Pam led me back inside. I knew this face far too well. It was Pam in her take charge mode, one even I had difficulty arguing with. I sat down with a glass of sweet tea knowing I wasn't going to like what she had to say.

"I want to help," I interjected before it would be an argument. "If I had resumed screening your staff like I always did this wouldn't have happened."

For once I could see the age and weariness of her continued existence on Pam's face as she gave me a tight smile. I didn't know everything about the situation but I knew it weighed heavily on her conscience. "The leak isn't human," she sighed. "There was no new staff hired since you last made the rounds. It's either a were or one of our own."

"I'm sorry Pam," I offered. I knew she valued loyalty above everything else, this betrayal had to have cut deeply. While my grasps on weres' thoughts was minimal I was always able to sense emotions and intent aside from the occasional thought. Regardless we both knew the betrayal lay at the hands of a vampire rather than any other.

"I'd like for you to remain by Eric's side for now," she informed me. "We need to prepare for Aelia's arrival tomorrow and I rather have him worrying over you here than distracting others with your sole safety."

"You'll take my help when you need it," I insisted. Pam simply nodded in acquiescence as she stood ready to depart. I waved her, Godric and Shabaz off. Two Guards of Anûšiya stayed behind guarding the outer perimeters.

My home was empty again apart from the void in the basement. It was a strange sensation, I was used to being alone now but despite the circumstances that had filled up my home it had been nice. Eric's absence at sending Pam and Godric off didn't leave me confused. It was a Sanguine thing, they never said goodbye. Pam said it was a bit of arrogance on their behalf. Humans started saying goodbye to each other out of fear of not seeing them return alive again. Fate was a cruel mistress in tough times. The Sanguines always saw each other again no matter what length of time in between.

I warmed him a bottle of Royalty blended and descended down the stairs. I found him much like I had when he first woke for the night. A small smile crept onto my face as I saw he had made both our beds. The pillows still sat slightly askew but it was clear he had put his best effort into it.

He graciously accepted my offered liquid meal as I settled myself in the armchair beside him. He sipped at it slowly and carefully.

"About earlier," I started. I immediately had to grab his hand to stop the apology threatening to come from his lips as my eyes pleaded with him to let me finish what I was about to say. "It was my fault. I know you're a vampire now but sometimes I forget. I was careless in my actions."

He sat his drink down and looked at me attentively as if he was truly regarding me for the first time. I don't know if it was conscious or not but his thumb caressed the protruding ends of my knuckles. He was still so human to me, in his actions and expressions. Between the two of us we'd probably be mistaken in our mortal states for the other's. I had always assumed it was my association with Pam that had most believing I was a Sanguine. Pam however, had informed me it had more to do with the poker face that had emerged alongside my telepathy.

It also meant that despite my lack of ability to read into their minds I could read their expressions better than most. Eric was young by their standards and from what I had understood earlier that night he had spent very little time around other Sanguines.

"Sookie," he said with a sigh. "I lost control, it was I who was careless."

All seemed to come down to that with vampires. Control, having it and losing it. With Eric I knew it was different. He had always been firmly in control in his human life, his house spoke of it in every meticulously planned millimetre of it. Everything had a carefully fitted place in his life. It is how he knew I would never be able to fit in it. I wasn't a mistress and I couldn't be his wife.

I shook my head in disagreement, "Who pulled you away? Godric or yourself?"

Despite the flurry of speeds in which it had all happened we both knew the answer to that question. He had moved himself away from me the moment the blood hit the back of his throat. Godric had arrived between us a millisecond later. His head hung slightly in defeat of my argument. We both liked to blame ourselves for things beyond our control because in a sense that brought us some command of the situation. It absolved us of our helplessness. Fate and chance were mistresses we both despised. They had pulled us apart before. Perhaps we should be more forgiving now that they had brought us to each other once more.

"Would you like to go for a drive? I could really use some fresh air," I offered in distraction of earlier events. I had missed driving the Corvette and with him it wouldn't feel like taking possession of it as entirely my own. His eyes told me yes but his words told me no.

"I can't," he offered in an explanation that didn't seem his own. "I am to stay in this room unless your safety calls for it."

It wasn't hard to recognise a maker's command. It _was_ hard to see it enslave Eric like that but that's how the Sanguine bound the young to their side. Devotion and loyalty were paramount to their collective survival and the attacks of the previous night proved the need for just that. It still made it difficult for me to stand witness to that. Luckily my extensive experience with legal jargon had proven me an excellent detector of loopholes.

"Well my safety demands you by my side," I said with a triumphant smirk as I pulled at his hand to follow my feet up the stairs. "So follow me." I saw him carry an equally satisfied smile as he passed over the threshold of the confining room with ease. He frowned a little when we got to the garage. Something had happened between him and the Corvette and I had yet to find out exactly what. Jason's truck was still in Bon Temps if it hadn't been swept up in the fire. The continued onset of his frown and fallen mood gave me cause to an idea.

I entered the necessary codes and slowly the garage floor opened to reveal the only other car of his that I had kept. It had come in years after his death and was destined to be a museum piece and as such I had kept it hidden away from Jason's prying eyes. Eric had ordered it years in advance, one in a series of ninety-nine. His eyes filled with unbridled glee at the resurfacing of it.

"Still don't want your inheritance back," I teased with the keys dangling in my hands. He growled like the vampire he was and it was as if he was speaking directly to what resonated in between my thighs. If it could I'm sure the kitten that resided there would have purred in return.

"You make quite the argument," he returned as he stalked towards me. "How about just the car."

His hand engulfed my tightly clutched one making it clear neither one was going to give in. We were at another standstill, thankfully it was a playful one. So fuelled by the spirit of coming out of events unscathed I caught him off guard by licking up the ridge of his neck. I barely caught the cursing of 'minx' directed my way as I sprinted into the driver's seat. I victoriously opened the signature Koenigsegg's door to him and patted the empty seat beside me.

His poorly acted disappointment was a suitable performance considering the car model name was named after the Swedish verb of 'to act'. I beat his instructive words on how to start the car by quickly and successively performing the actions before the words left his mouth. I couldn't help but giggle at the miffed look on his face as the engine sang in delight at my attentions. I had never understood the fascination with fast cars till I experienced the feel of a mechanical beast coming to life underneath you, notifying that you were in for one hell of a ride. We both needed that right now, escaping death knew how to inform you to take a grasp of life.

I carefully edged us out of the garage with my windows down, I tossed the keys to the Corvette to Alcide knowing he stood no chance in hell of following us with his standard fleet of cars. With the Corvette he _might_ stand a chance. The wolf grinned widely knowing exactly what he was in store for.

"So why did you keep this one?" Eric asked as I slowly drove to the gates. The low suspension required extra care till we made it to the smooth asphalt outside. The truth was I really liked the car but I would never admit to that.

"Like anyone would buy this. It has your name written all over it," I told him. "Literally."

It was a lame defence. I would have received twice the amount for what Eric had originally paid for it despite the fact that his name was indeed embroidered onto the leather seats, engraved on every surface and printed on all the soft fabrics of the roof liner and floor mats. The owner of the specialised supercar manufacturer had told me it was a private joke between Eric and himself, they were old friends. Apparently he was becoming concerned with Eric's Americanisation and decided to truss up his order in accordance. Rich boys made extremely expensive jokes.

His laughter was lost as the engine drowned it and any other sound out. That was why I loved this car, it shut people out and as a telepath that was a rare treat. In this car no one's thoughts could reach me and it was bliss. It was even successful in alleviating me of my own troubling thoughts as the empty highways opened up to my insistent feet.

When I had my fill after a good 80 miles I pulled over to allow Alcide to catch up and let Eric have a go at the engineering dream. With nothing clouding my mind or his I pulled at his leather jacket as soon as our seatbelts were disengaged. My lips crashed into his and without hesitance his mouth opened to mine. His fangs made their presence known once more and at the realisation I felt him pull away in hesitance. I forced him to stay, determined this was another battle I refused to lose to him. I was on a winning streak even if I did play dirty by encircling one fang with my tongue. He stalled his resistance and fought my tongue with his instead.

Contact sports had always been a struggle for me but this was one in which I happily pleaded defeat. The silence of his mind and touch was unparalleled. The Koenigsegg had nothing on the man whose name was written all over it.

From that moment I only ever wanted one man's name to leave my lips.

So I breathed out, "Eric."

…

…

…

**A/N: Apologies for the drunken disorder last Tuesday with the posting of the wrong chapter. Thanks again to Sky for alerting me so quickly. **

**So we'll be back exactly from this point with EPOV next Tuesday.**


	7. Chapter 7 - I am my Own

Chapter 7 – I am my own

**EPOV**

Sookie was a speed demon behind the wheel and the sensation of her taking control of my beloved dream car was far more exciting than I ever imagined. I never thought I would allow anyone other than myself to drive this specific vehicle. I had been searching fruitlessly for a car from this same limited release as soon as my Sanguine money came in. Now I knew I would have to be sweet talking Sookie out of the one that had my name written all over it. I'd happily buy her a matching new one with _her_ name all over it but I knew she wasn't going down without a fight. She was as enamoured with this piece of machinery as I was, despite her denial of it. Thankfully we were evenly matched in determination when it came to combat.

It seemed that was what we were best at. Whether it be battling with our tongues or our words and fuck if it didn't make me hard. Regretfully that would have to wait after the slip of my fangs tonight. I knew I had to take it slow. I wasn't ready for that yet with Sookie and despite her aggressive assault of my lips I doubted she was either.

She was no anonymous donor or random woman of my past. I couldn't bear it if I hurt her in the process of my excitement. She nursed my wounds like no other but I couldn't stand to see any harm come to her. As civil as we Sanguinges looked, there were beasts inside of us and the mere sensation of her blood had brought that out full force.

I had learned something new about Sookie Stackhouse tonight. She didn't shy away when I did. Not that she actively sought out danger but fear never strapped her down unnecessarily. What I had interpreted as her defences before were merely a tactical temporary retreat, she never left the battlefield.

Our ever increasing heated kiss was disrupted by the flooding headlights of the Corvette into our private bubble. Sookie smiled dopily at me as she placed the key in my hands and I snuck in a quick taste of her lips before I stood beside her with my otherworldly speed urging her out of her seat. She laughed at what I hoped read as my apparent enthusiasm while she swapped her seat for mine.

The wolf was lost to us in seconds as my feet reached the bottom of the floor. It was far better than I had imagined as the speed coursed through my veins. As much as flying was a revelation to me this sensation still felt unparalleled. My heightened senses only added to it, no drug could compare to this high.

I took us to a secluded spot, one I only ever ventured to alone when things got too complex or I needed to be out of the house. No matter how many square feet it contained, when you want to be away from someone it might as well be the size of a cabin. It would be awhile before her security team had caught up with us, as I had put the supercar well past the legal speed limits and they were surprisingly good at remaining unnoticed. It felt very old world to have these chaperones looking over us but in a sense we needed that and I preferred them over Godric and Pam.

Sookie had managed to get out of the car before I was there to assist her out of the low seat. She didn't sit waiting like a damsel, she had earned the right to carve her own path and I found I liked it. It suited her.

I had thought she had stood in a stasis of time in my absence, in the way she kept everything about my home exactly the same. Her adjustments were small but they were conscious choices just like keeping this specific car. She knew of what I cared for and that made her care but at the same time she discovered things about herself along the way. I had been right back then. Sookie was not meant to be a kept woman she was meant to be her own. That last part I had only realised by witnessing it in the present.

I guided her to an overturned tree trunk that I had sat on so often in the past I was surprised I hadn't worn it down to the exact measurements of my ass. She sat down beside me and I noticed the weariness in her eyes. Beyond that lay fatigue, she hadn't slept the day away like I had. I knew we had to talk about the upcoming visit of Aelia, the mistress of our Sanguine house, but I wanted a night that belonged to me for once. One I could share with her so we could momentarily leave our worries behind.

"What happened between you and the Vette?" Sookie asked as she pulled her cardigan around her tightly. At the sight I draped my leather jacket around her. I had no need for it anymore, it was a strange thing for clothing to be purely decorative. Pam had been talking me into buying a lot of clothes lately. Shopping had been her preoccupation when unable to reach out to Sookie. When she ran out of boutiques to rob blind she had diverted her efforts to me. I didn't mind, the few clothes still left at Sookie's house had been formal wear and the clothes I did possess were simple but would make me stand out among the discerning tastes of the Sanguine.

I found it amusing that Sookie considered my affection for my former car a living relationship but I was coming to understand her world view. Possessions meant more to someone who always had very little of them. I was a poor excuse for warmth but I nudged Sookie into my side regardless before I found an answer I could give. "It reminds me too much of a past that's no longer there."

"It's like that with my Gran's house too," she said with a sigh and I couldn't help but pull her closer. I knew the loss of it was one she had to mourn however ridiculous it seemed to me to grieve a physical object. To her it was like losing her grandmother all over again. "I worked so long and hard to get it back and when I did, I didn't know what to do with it anymore."

"Sounds like us." My thoughts had slipped out of my mouth before I had given pause at their possible impact.

We both fell silent at that realisation. I hoped the parallel stopped with burning flames that led to total destruction and that my inability to face my past in a red little vehicle had made me withdrawn. As if she was reading my thoughts she remarked, "Let's hope we don't crash and burn."

"If we can survive the Koenigsegg we can survive anything," I jested in an attempt to lighten the heavy mood. Her lingering eyes turned to find mine. Despite their dark depths I always found light there, however inexplicable that may be. Now a hint of mirth resided alongside it.

"I think we should get t-shirts made up," she returned. "I survived hurricane Freyda. That's far more impressive than the car."

Her weathering of that heavy storm went beyond that of impressive. Freyda appeared to be the butt of many of her private jokes. It was the only manner Sookie ever possessed in which she acted like the jilted mistress. I suspected it was Pam or her brother's influence to degrade my ex-wife to a joke so she lost her threat.

"You didn't need to move all the assets of the estate around like you have," I said knowing that the subject of my ex needed to be addressed. I didn't want to have Sookie feel like she ever competed with that.

"I know you don't want it back," she said with a little frost to her tone. It was strangely reminiscent of Freyda's usual tenor with me, it didn't suit Sookie one bit. Her heart hardened too much with it.

"No," I replied trying to avert another discussion on that subject matter. "She won't be after it anymore. Freyda is no longer in need of it."

"I hope you got that in writing and notarised," she retorted with the same ice. I didn't think there was a side to Sookie that I didn't like but this was one. It pained me to know my actions had given birth to that.

"I don't need to," I replied keeping my tone level and soft. "We have an understanding, our final parting was amicable."

The look on Sookie's face was incredulous and _that_ was incredible to see. Very little ever cracked her pristine façade, Pam had told me it was a by-product of her telepathy. She had needed to develop an incredible poker face not to show her reactions to the inner thoughts of others.

"The papers said otherwise," she said pointedly.

"And everything they've ever written about you is the absolute truth," I remarked at which she gave a defeated sigh. I knew the press hadn't been kind about her until recent years when she became the generous philanthropist. "It was all PR fed by the AVL and Freyda's publicist. It's why the no contact order was in place."

"So they all could forget I was supposed to be the interfering mistress." Her fingers dug deep into the flesh of her skin just above her knees. The face revealed nothing of her distaste of it all but that movement told me everything.

"No," I said in explanation. "The AVL wanted you to play along as the…" I paused searching for a term that wasn't as damning but there wasn't one, "my former mistress. They wanted me to exchange the relinquishing of my estate for your compliance."

Her face of anger was very similar to my own when Nan Flanagan had informed me of her 'brilliant' strategy. Thankfully Godric had backed me up and she was forced to rework her plan, unfortunately it came with the no contact order. I believed it in part to be a punishment for my refusal to pull Sookie in as an accomplice to her publicizing scheme. Star crossed lovers caught across the ages was a story Nan Flanagan couldn't resist to spin.

"Freyda willingly agreed?" she asked as if it were a complete impossibility. I am sure with the Freyda Sookie had dealt with it certainly would have seemed exactly that. "Did you do some sordid deal with her too?"

"No." My head shook in accordance with the statement to underline the fact. I needed Sookie to understand Freyda was no longer of any threat to her or to us. Legally or emotionally. "She finally got what she wanted, and it wasn't with me. She never fought for the money Sookie, she fought to be recognised as the love of my life. When I was dead and alive."

"She wasn't?" Sookie asked, it was meant to be a statement but it came out as a question.

"Only you," I whispered loud enough for her to hear and I felt the warmth that was at my side push in closer till nothing was left to separate us. I wasn't ready to repeat those three magic words again till I knew for certain that she was ready to reciprocate. In this moment Sookie didn't need to hear them to believe I held them solely for her.

"She magically accepted this because you told her so?" Sookie questioned with that same incredulous tone. It didn't surprise me she had a hard time imagining Freyda as she was now. I had a hard time accepting that change in her too but I was glad to see it.

"No," I said with a badly withheld chuckle. "She found someone else to love and he loves her back. They're expecting their first child in a couple of months."

"Sten," Sookie gasped with realisation and I gave affirmation of her deduction. "I couldn't understand the language in his mind but it had such gentle intent. It reminded me of how you thought of me all those years ago. I can't believe the ice queen found someone to help her defrost."

I couldn't help but laugh as Sookie's nickname for Freyda had been my programmed name for her number in my cell phone for years. When I informed Sookie of this she already knew this, my personal assistant had run her through all the contacts and explained who the moniker had belonged to.

"You're awfully Zen about the woman who tried to make you permanently dead," Sookie remarked with a tone that resembled one much closer to her own. It was melodic and soothing to me, the Southern lilt of her speech endeared her and it hid the true force of her magnitude. Hurricane Freyda was scary but to be at the end of Sookie's verbal sword was surely a far more frightening place to be. She knew how to fight dirty, her display in hiding my assets had proven as much. The apple didn't fall far from her godfather's tree.

"I have an eternity but time ahead of me," I offered in explanation. "Why should I waste time holding on to something I have no position to change. We were bad with each other, it doesn't mean we are bad people apart."

"She tried to kill you," Sookie repeated for what seemed my benefit as her blank face only produced an accelerated blink.

"Luckily she didn't succeed," I returned with a smirk. "I'm sure I would be decidedly less Zen about it then. She apologised and admitted she was wrong, she regretted it. We can both move on now."

Sookie sat quietly as she seemed to reassert everything she knew of Freyda. Despite her telepathy I knew I had shed a different light on her and from her body I could sense a certain amount of weight she carried lifted with the realisation of who Freyda was in the present.

"You held on to me," she whispered softly. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears as she searched out my own once more. The penetrating gaze made it feel as if she was actively seeking out the thoughts that resided in my mind. As if the words I was about to speak could not be trusted. "Why?"

"You," I said gently, in an attempt to avert the tears that were threatening to spill. "I wanted to keep."

It was no use what I said, they fell regardless. Her fresh face glistened in the limited light of the waning moon. I kissed the beads of moisture away from her face even though I knew they had nothing to do with sadness. I still didn't like seeing them there.

"I don't want to be a vampire," she strangled out with her gaze averted to the forest floor. "I don't have an eternity of time ahead of me."

I always had a difficult time accepting this part of my new existence. I didn't want her to be what I was either. She was alive and that is how she was supposed to be, it had terrified me when she spoke of using my former grave as her own one day. Were we both human I would have accepted it was a fate we shared collectively. My fingers grazed in urging at the underside of her chin so I could see her eyes once more.

"The darkness is not a place for you," I clarified to her. She was a great big beaming light that had served as my guide in the darkest corners of my expunged mind. There was nothing in me that would want to extinguish that. "We have now and many tomorrows. If you would accept my blood you would last longer than most."

The magic that sustained us was like a youth elixir to the human system. It would never make them immortal without a turning but it had kept companions around for years beyond anything capable by modern science today. The Sanguines guarded the blood with great reverence only to be dispensed to chosen ones, execution was given to those who shared it without consent of their familial line. It was why the permission to court Sookie held such great importance. I knew the blood of my direct line was stronger than most, there was two millennia between Godric and myself, its potency was barely diluted.

"You wish me to take your blood?" she asked with a tone that revealed she understood all too well the importance of it. A thought occurred to me that perhaps Pam had given her an infusion of blood once considering that age had barely worn Sookie down. I quickly disregarded the thought as I would have sensed it inside her, however faint it was, the blood of our line would always find itself in others. I had first experienced it when I met Aelia's human companion, it was similar to the connection I felt in Pam but not as strong.

"I wonder how long it's going to take you to accept there is nothing I wouldn't wish to share with you." Acceptance was a slow process with Sookie and luckily I had all the time in the world I just hoped she caught on soon enough. She nodded in understanding until I felt her hand snake into my pocket as she pulled the heavy key from my possession.

"Except the Koenigsegg," she smirked triumphantly with a perfect pronunciation of the Swedish brand. My hand clasped over her thieving one in retaliation. The threat was idle, I could crush her hand with a mere squeeze and have the key back before she could blink but that strength would never be used against her. All I would ever be able to do was caress her with the lightest of touches.

"Except the Koenigsegg," I admitted in defeat as her hand slipped from my loose grip. Where I had expected her to bolt to the driver's seat she surprised me by turning over my large hand and placing the key firmly inside it. "Now tell me the real reason what's wrong with the Corvette."

"It reminds me of the man I used to be," I sighed baring the incarnation of my former self. "The one who chased skirts to piss off his wife. It wasn't me but I acted like him anyway."

"You were never that man back then," she said to me as she tucked away a stray piece of hair from my forehead, a lack of toiletries at Sookie's house left it slightly unkempt. "I read it in your mind, everyone but Freyda understood. Love wasn't something you gave away as easily as everything else. My bank accounts stand testament to that."

Sookie knew every intricate detail of my past, if she hadn't read about my philandering in my mind she would have read about it in the media or been confronted with it in court. What I regretted most was that she had been lumped in among those women. I had made every concerted effort for her not to be. While the rest of the world might still regard her as such I knew the truth as well as she. She stood miles apart on her own.

**A/N: A little announcement: I'll be off on holiday for the next couple of weeks to a place where Wi-Fi will be shoddy at best. I'll see what I can do but it may happen that a week passes without an update or that it happens on a different day. **_**It's Already Gone**_** is the only story that will continue as scheduled seeing that it coincides with the show. For those impatient ones among you I suggest to read/catch up with another one of my stories while I'm gone or make sacrifices to the Wi-Fi gods and pray for good reception. I'll be back at work September 1****st**** so unless I catch Hep-V regular scheduling will commence from that point onwards. **


	8. Chapter 8 - Humlebi

Chapter 8 – Humlebi

**PPOV**

I always knew she was special but I never anticipated my closest confidant was a royal princess of the Fae. It was Shahbaz's lord commander, Afshin, who informed me of that fact. He was old enough to remember the scent that drew us all to her presence. Godric and I now fully understood Aelia's interest in Sookie but it would only be from her lips that we were to understand how our Grandest Sire* knew of her. Sookie's telepathy was of no importance to her, the interest lay with the faery kind. Eric's defence of the little were turned out to be righteous after all.

The Empress herself was gracing us all with her presence because of it. Aelia possessed no physical lands to rule herself but she reigned over the kings and queens who were direct descendants of the Aurelie line. We would be fools to think her unexpected presence was related solely to the sudden terrorist attacks.

This was the first time that I ever saw Godric hold some concern to his stoic façade. I held the same disquiet as he. Their wedding was already determined as far as our house was concerned. Their shaky foundations were going to be put to the test. Eric barely escaped one arranged marriage and Sookie was never one to be rushed, yet the church bells seemed to already be ringing with anticipation.

Sookie could lie like the best of us, she had all the necessary skills, but I knew the girl that hid behind the mask. She _could_ was more capable than most but she wouldn't. Not with me, I knew that much. Sookie was as unaware of her royal status as we all had been. She had asked me once if I knew what she was, it had been the first time her defences had ever slipped with me. The telepath was a talented actress but that couldn't be faked.

Afshin informed me the Fae were not as extinct as claimed to be, they had retreated to their own realm but it was far from a peaceful existence there. He assumed Sookie was hidden for security reasons. My maker had once suggested that the magic that animated us was connected to that of the Fae. At the time it had all sounded like fairy tales to me, only the truly ancient ever had credible knowledge of their kind. Only now did those lessons begin to resurface with renewed importance.

My royal estate stood in better conditions than I had anticipated. Repairs were already on their way and I reluctantly made the call to Sophie-Anne Leclerq, who held seat in New Orleans. I would be in need of her eldest child André. Sophie-Anne is a Sanguine baronetess from a lesser house, their blood line is too diluted to hold any true strength. She has yet to turn a true Sanguine but it has hardly deterred her from trying. Her success rate is more miss than hit, I was forced to execute her rampant child Waldo a few years back.

Her eldest André was similarly unstable but was far too devoted to Sophie-Anne to stray too far off the leash. He excelled at extracting sensitive information with methods I rather not acknowledge publicly. So far the three caught perpetrators had withstood the usual scrutiny of my interrogators. Compton had also yet to confess a thing since being arrested in a neighbouring kingdom. I knew Godric would do a better job than André ever could but I also knew such tasks weighed heavy on his conscience. I would travel other available paths before I would resort to ask for his assistance.

Unfortunately as everything was with Sophie-Anne, her assistance would come at a steep price. We would be hosting her and her entourage of children by dawn, and a dinner in her honour would be hosted the next night. She was a social climber even though she probably reached the pinnacle of any station she could hope to have ambitions for. Preparations were already on their way for Aelia's arrival so it would be no bother, although it would require separate tables. Aelia would not deign to sit with Impurus at the table, we would be lucky if she bit her tongue with their mere presence in the banquet hall. Sookie's attendance would hopefully keep her civil until we figure out the full extent of the Empress' intentions.

Sookie's newly discovered lineage would otherwise make her the highest attending guest earning her a place between Aelia and myself. She will, however, be attending as Eric's guest, for now her status will remain unknown, especially in the company of the likes of Sophie-Anne.

While I continued to wrack my brain over the seating chart I felt the tentative touch of Godric's smaller hand resting over my own. As Sanguines we hardly ever touch as a rule but it was a gesture of comfort from our joint times where our stations often lay forgotten. I rewarded my uncle with an appreciative smile. As youthful as his spirit might sometimes be, he understands the weight of duty like no other. He shuffled around a few of the names and I was finally able to release a sigh of relief as he seated each individual in perfect accordance.

"Sophie-Anne will rest in the former slave quarters?" Godric asked merely in confirmation of his assumptions. I simply nodded as the energy of the day had wasted away at me. I will assuredly need to take a live donor before the impending arrivals. While I would love to indulge in the spoils that come with it, I have nor the energy or the time. Sophie-Anne will feel assuredly snubbed by my second rate offering of accommodations but Aelia's arrival will surely awaken her up lofty ambitions in favour of complaints. It's going to be a trying few nights.

"Will you feed with me?" I requested of Godric as I handed off the finalised plans to my social secretary. Our evening's most pressing obligations were done, even though the night is still young. My queendom is now firmly in control by the Guards of Anûšiya as the Impurus are held under curfew. I adjusted the order to include all of the Sanguine even though this will assuredly cause me to lose some of their support. I however refuse to abide by their preferred treatment when one of them may have aided the attackers on my reign.

"We're not draining a bitch together," I exhaled with exasperation as the only answer to my former question was a hesitant gaze. I knew his appetite for fresh blood had resurfaced some after Sookie forced him to drink with her in celebration of the return of her former home. "It is just a feed. Nothing more."

When I was a mere fledgling it had been Godric who had finally managed to curb my voracious appetites where my own maker had tried and failed. Only under command would I be able to restrain myself but my maker knew that was not a solution for the rest of my existence. I had petulantly defied Godric at first, when each of my life lessons had started. He persevered regardless and taught me to compartmentalise the necessities of life. No longer was everything in my newfound existence a string of heightened sensations. With Godric I finally learned to settle in myself without the demanding obligations of the outside world. These days I felt his own restraint was pushing him further in the opposite direction of where I once started.

He had always taught me to walk the middle ground while knowing all the views from the sides, that's what had kept his existence intact. Godric's position was an admirable one, he had manoeuvred himself with such conduct that he held dominion over his choices better than most in our house. The obligations he owed were minimal but from Aelia's announcement earlier this night we both knew that siring Eric had caused Godric to lose some of his cherished independence. There was no doubt in my mind that my uncle would hover especially close, like a helicopter mom, with Eric whenever in the public arena of the Sanguines. He would not be relinquishing his maker's right as easily as his own maker had, despite the possible persistence of the powers that rule us.

"Very well," Godric agreed moments before a knock on the door announced the arrival of the donor. It wasn't the momentous occasion it should have been. We simply sat either side of the all too eager donor sucking at her frail wrists. Her advances were offensive and she would be relieved of her duties the moment we were through. Aelia would have a fit if she were presented with a desperate offering such as this one. As my energies replenished the gravity of the situation was beginning to settle in and it never failed to go unnoticed with Godric. His gentle caress was there once more and like that first time so long ago I stopped fighting what I couldn't control.

"Containment," I spoke remembering the lesson Godric had taught me then. Pieces were always much easier to swallow than the whole. "We can only fall apart in parts."

"You still remember your lessons," he returned with a slight chuckle.

"Unfortunately I remember them all," I retorted with an exaggerated roll of my eyes. Not all had been such gentle lessons as this one. Godric had been the only other person besides my maker that was able to strip me to my essential core. It wasn't always a pretty sight but it had been necessary, with him I could bare all. I wouldn't be who I was now without him. "Thank you."

My head rested on his shoulder as he carried the share of my burden and I carried some of his. He would do all for Eric where I would do the same for Sookie. "It's not easy having someone I care for in my life."

"That was always the toughest lesson I had to teach you," my uncle said soothingly. It was a tone of voice that I had only heard from him on rare occasion, when there was little of me to shield myself. "It has taken you long to appreciate its full extent."

"How are you handling a lesson of your own?" I pondered aloud. We had not ever spoken of why he had turned Eric. Knowing Godric it was a decision not made lightly, it had broken a strong conviction within him.

"I think I have indulged him more than I should."

"I hear it's always like that with the firstborn," I said with a faint smile. It had been the same between my maker and myself. There were no limits to my desires only when my maker realised the mistake, was it rectified with the aid of Godric. "You should practice what you preach."

"No," he replied stoically. "There was nothing left to take from him. He retained no memories of his former life, it would have been cruel."

Now it was my turn to soothe his hand with mine. Our lack of touch in our daily life made the sensation of it all the more heightened. "You were never cruel uncle," I told him with earnest eyes. He once told me I never failed to tell the truth with my stare so as unwilling as he was to hear it he accepted the words I spoke.

"I have been cruel before you," Godric said with a silent sigh.

"We have all been cruel when it was called for," I tried in appeasement. "I have even seen Sookie be cruel." With that I managed to carve out a small smile on his pale face.

"I fear she is being cruel to Eric as we speak," he said with mild amusement. Undoubtedly the two were having far more of an exhilarating time than the exhausted sight of the two of us. "His emotions refuse to settle on any but one."

"That is merely the effect she has on people," I returned knowing those sensations all too well as my own. "Sookie brightens where one thinks there is no room for light. She is unlike any other I have met. And I have met far too many."

We remained silent as there was no need to dispute my claim. I knew Godric had taken to her from the moment his eyes rested on her agitated form, I had mistaken it for attraction at the time. I should have known better, Sookie offered something that little are willing to give without prejudice. Sympathy. I have found Godric is completely unused to its presence but I see it pacifies some of the inflicted wounds he carries as his own.

oOoOoOo

Sophie-Anne arrived sooner than expected, her invitation to court had her on her feet quicker than her reluctant demeanour on the phone suggested. I tolerated her mostly but her sycophant tendencies grated me more than usual this evening. Their rooms in the old slave quarters were appropriate to her station but I had better ones to offer, the mere mention of Aelia's impending arrival had her suitably excited. Thankfully she had left the freakish twins at home and arrived with merely André by her side. I left them to the capable hands of my household staff as soon as it was polite to do so and retreated to my own private quarters just as the sun started to rise.

It was quiet and lonesome, like it always was. For once I found I could appreciate that silence and isolation. There was no doubt in my mind this was merely the calm before the storm. Life swung in a pendulum like that, all could be still and the next moment chaos erupts. I raked through the inventory of my closets appropriating the necessary outfits for the upcoming night. Sookie would have to dress herself without my aid for once but I was assured she would choose well.

The feel of the luxurious fabrics trailing through my hands brought comfort I rarely found elsewhere. Clothes always made sense to me, they moved with seasons and time even when I didn't. It brought an order to my eternal existence like nothing else and catalogued it at the same time. Blood was fickle, a dress always fitted me the same. The soles of my shoes displayed the wear on my life where my body never would. Piece by piece they made me whole.

"Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown," the familiar voice of the man who had aided me through the testing day and night spoke pulling me from my trance. It reminded me of my maker who used to read Shakespeare to me by candlelight.

"And what of your excuse," I mused as I continued to finger the bouclé fabric of a pantsuit. "You avoid your day rest to simply taunt mine."

"I need no crown to lie uneasy," he returned with a small prod. Godric removed the hanger from my hands and hung it back in its place. His hand cupped the side of my face and I couldn't help but lean in to its ease. "Shall we lie together for old times' sake?"

"Let's," I agreed and followed him out to my bed chamber. We slipped under the covers in our night clothes and we found our familiar embrace of comfort. I had slept with Godric many times like this, especially after a particularly tough lesson soothing us both like no other. It had never been sexual between him and I, yet it was far more intimate.

He kissed the crown of my head just like he always did and followed with, "Goodnight, princess." I was a queen now but I felt like the young Sanguine princess I had been the last time he held me like this.

"Sweet dreams," I whispered closely to his chest as I continued our old routine.

"Only if you are there as well," he finished, at which we both laid our eyes to rest. It was restorative to us both as it always had been. I always thought our aversion to touch had more to do with restraint than disgust. It could be addictive and in some aspects it had been like that with my maker. Apart or together it had never made sense.

oOoOoOo

We arrived at the private air field promptly on time. Since the attacks my security detail had grown exponentially, they did little to ease my mind. I couldn't fathom what had motivated the targeting of my person. I was considered a fair ruler, there were reigns far less generous to the impure than mine. Yet my concern lay with the blonde telepath that arrived at the hands of my latest cousin.

She wore a dress I had made her buy but she had since refused to wear. It was conservative in shape with its weighty woollen and silk fabric but the deep red colour and slight shine called to an attention Sookie had always avoided. By the way Eric's eyes blazed in appreciation, I knew it was at his insistence she wore this particular dress. It was the first time I ever saw her wear something like that with a quiet confidence. _That_ suited her better than the dress.

They both basked in an afterglow of contentment as if still both in post coital bliss. I didn't need to scent her to know they had slept as innocently as Godric and I. Like proud parents we beamed at the couple in approach. They looked like the golden couple they deserved to be, but I couldn't help but fear that soon a layer of dust will taint their sheen. I committed this moment to memory for times ahead would seek to test their resolve.

Eric gave Sookie a knowing smile when Godric complimented her on the dress. She had already received my approval from a mere look we had shared while we continued to wait for the airline crew to unleash the staircase to the private jet.

The squadron of guards exited first as it came to reveal Aelia's distinguished form. She had a stature and face made for the ages with the darkest brown hair that shone black. She was the image of symmetrical beauty with a body of sin. It was an instrument she had honed finely to divert attentions of her true talents of manipulation. For centuries many had assumed she had been turned for her looks, it had been the least impressive quality as far as her maker was concerned. As striking as her presence always is, it wasn't Aelia that held my eyes locked to the entrance of the plane.

If I had a functioning heart it would have stopped as my blood inside me roared to a heated boil. Within seconds Kristian Holstein-Sonderburg, Duke of Ærø, stood in front of me once more. Every sensation in my body buzzed to life as he whispered his customary greeting in my ears, "Glad to have found you once more, min lille humlebi."*

My maker. He had arrived.

**A/N: Thanks to whoever made sacrifices to the WiFi gods, it is currently holding strong. I hope it was a pesky maenad or the like and not cute kittens or puppies. I don't think my conscience can condone that… what I can condone… Barf Bill! I have stolen several air sickness bags from the plane I was on last night in preparations for next week's episode…**

**For those of you who enjoy that sort of thing there is a picture of Sookie's dress at the end of this chapter on my blog: .com . I have also put up character banners for Aelia and Kristian (I am very curious what you all think of my casting of Pam's maker because if AS had never been born this would probably have been my pick to play the Viking).**

**The reference page has also been updated with some newly introduced terms and an adjustment had been made to the family tree. Direct link is in my profile (new character banners can also be found here).**

***Grandest Sire: The eldest Sanguine of the blood line. Aelia carries the title of Empress because descendants of her line carry royal titles with territories. All the eldest of bloodlines carry the title Grandest Sire but they are not all Emperors or Empresses.**

***min lille humlebi: is Danish for my little bumblebee, which is Kristian's pet name for Pam. As mentioned by Godric in the first chapter the family gift of flight is lost on Pam and her trajectories are more akin to a flight of a bumblebee. **

**I am still officially on holidays so updates will come when they come. I am sticking to the order in which I usually release them so Galatea's Descent will be the next to receive an update just don't ask me when...**

**Shakespeare's quote _'Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown'_ is from Henry IV. Act 3 scene 1. W. Shakespeare**


	9. Chapter 9 - Ferocity

_She wore a dress I had made her buy but she had since refused to wear. It was conservative in shape with its weighty woollen and silk fabric but the deep red colour and slight shine called to an attention Sookie had always avoided. By the way Eric's eyes blazed in appreciation, I knew it was at his insistence she wore this particular dress. It was the first time I ever saw her wear something like that with a quiet confidence. That suited her better than the dress._

_They both basked in an afterglow of contentment as if still both in post coital bliss. I didn't need to scent her to know they had slept as innocently as Godric and I. Like proud parents we beamed at the couple in approach. They looked like the golden couple they deserved to be, but I couldn't help but fear that soon a layer of dust will taint their sheen. I committed this moment to memory for times ahead would seek to test their resolve._

_Eric gave Sookie a knowing smile when Godric complimented her on the dress. She had already received my approval from a mere look we had shared while we continued to wait for the airline crew to unleash the staircase to the private jet. _

_The squadron of guards exited first as it came to reveal Aelia's distinguished form. She had a stature and face made for the ages with the darkest brown hair that shone black. She was the image of symmetrical beauty with a body of sin. It was an instrument she had honed finely to divert attentions of her true talents of manipulation. For centuries many had assumed she had been turned for her looks, it had been the least impressive quality as far as her maker was concerned. As striking as her presence always is, it wasn't Aelia that held my eyes locked to the entrance of the plane._

_If I had a functioning heart it would have stopped as my blood inside me roared to a heated boil. Within seconds Kristian Holstein-Sonderburg, Duke of Ærø, stood in front of me once more. Every sensation in my body buzzed to life as he whispered his customary greeting in my ears, "Glad to have found you once more, min lille humlebi."_

_My maker. He had arrived._

**Chapter 9 – Ferocity**

**SPOV**

Pam and I had spent many nights talking of the man that haunted my past and determined my present. Yet she never spoken to me of the man who did the same to her. I only knew his name to be Kristian and there was no doubt in my mind that this was him. They looked upon each other like old lovers and there would only be one male that fit that description in relation to Pam. Whether he was here for support or reprimand, I knew it to make no difference to Pam. The slight elation in her face spoke volumes, she felt safer than she had in days.

Their foreheads rested on each other's as they drew in the scent and feel of one another. Pam was unusually mute as his thumbs caressed her cheeks. A chaste kiss was placed upon her lips which carried both their smiles. "My own heart's root," she whispered back in greeting as we watched the frost in her character thaw. Our witness to their quiet reunion was only interrupted by the arrival of Aelia who seemed to have moved at a pace that stood in defiance of her preternatural speed.

The woman was stunning, there could be no other word for it and her dark penetrating eyes seemed to only stand in attention to me. I bowed in accompaniment with the others in the manner that I had seen many others do for Pam these past few nights. Eric held me impossibly close to his side as Aelia's inquisitive stare refused to relinquish from my form. It wasn't as if I was being graded like a piece of meat. She was appraising me as if counting my worth. It was a look I had encountered many times since becoming custodian of a vast fortune but I knew for certain this wasn't an assessment of the state of my finances.

"Northman," she greeted with warmth I had yet to see expressed so easily amongst the Sanguine. As Alfa of the bloodline she was probably afforded more liberties than most. There was a maternal edge to her lilt that was almost hypnotic in her soothing. "This must be your Sookie."

"A pleasure to meet you, your Grace," I greeted formally. Her dark eyes had yet to leave mine alone, if there were any distance left between Eric and myself I would have taken it in that moment. Her smile was wide as she only momentarily glanced Eric's way, it appeared I wasn't the only thing that was standing under her continual scrutiny. I was just the one who received the most overt form of it.

"Call me Aelia," she returned kindly as she tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. The privilege of allowing me to address her by her first name was not lost on me. I almost forgot to breathe as her finger continued to trace from my temple down to my cheek. "We are all but family."

It would have been impossible not to notice the stiffening of Eric at her words despite the genteel tone in which they had been spoken. I had been through this routine often enough with those who had only ever known a life of riches and liked to appear informal and down to earth with the 'common folk'. Those of the silver spoon persuasion never failed to acknowledge you were a silver plated version at best intentionally or not. No matter how much one tried to empathise they would never understand, in contrast I knew both sides of the coin of poverty and riches where they probably never would. That was a wealth they would never get to experience. Even if all their fortunes were lost, unfounded stature can linger longer than one would expect. In the end money buys very little but that is a lesson those in abundance of it hardly ever come to understand.

"I insist you call me Sookie then," I said in a mirror tone to her voice. Her satisfied smile told me I had placated her enough and her gaze finally fell towards Godric. They spoke in ancient tongue as he led her to the procession of vehicles awaiting us. Eric and I followed at a distance as we made our way back to the Koenigsegg we arrived in. His hand covered mine as I reached for the door handle, pleading eyes met my questioning look. As the engines of the other cars roared to life we stood waiting till they departed out of sight.

His lips sought out mine and I happily invited him in. His hands roamed down the expanse of my backside as if to assure him I was still here. "She wants you," Eric whispered against my lips as I sought out the crisp air to replenish my lungs as his lips continued to trace new patches of skin. Worry was written all over his face and I couldn't help but caress the drawn lines of his face softly in attempt to smooth out the signs of distress that had emerged.

"I know," I returned as I placed a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth reaching up on the tips of my toes. He steadied me as my heels found the ground again as our eyes were yet to leave each other alone after the invasion of Aelia on both sets. "She can pay like everyone else. Sookie Stackhouse, telepath for hire."

The frowns on his face only dug deeper with concern. He untucked the hair Aelia had displaced, allowing the soft strand to frame my face once more. I gave him an appreciative smile but he couldn't return it. "She considers you hers by extension of me," he sighed.

"Will she harm me?" I asked even though I was pretty certain she wouldn't. He shook his head confirming my suspicion. "Then let's concern ourselves with the repercussions later." Eric murmured some sort of acquiescence in reply but he refused to let me go for some time. There were worse positions to find oneself in so I didn't resist the embrace.

Perhaps I was being foolish and naïve in my convictions of others but my instinct had never led me astray. I waited for a man everyone thought was dead but here he stood holding me in his arms. I could afford myself a little bit of faith in what was to come.

We settled into the car that was now no longer destined to be a museum piece with the amount of use it was receiving. Eric reluctantly let me go knowing we couldn't remain absent for much longer. I straightened out the creases that were intending to stay on my dress before fastening in for what I assumed was another high octane fuelled ride. Instead he drove like a senior citizen and rather than addressing it, knowing he was simply procrastinating, I let my mind wander to Pam.

"Do you know Kristian well?" I asked Eric as they had exchanged greetings of familiarity. His attention was preoccupied with other thoughts so I had to ask him again before he finally replied. Thankfully he was not distracted enough for it to impact his driving.

"Ærø trained me for combat," Eric replied pronouncing the last name in his Swedish tongue. When I asked if he was a fellow Swede he informed me Kristian had been the duke of an island in Denmark in his human days. There was a slight resemblance in looks that designated their shared Nordic heritage but Eric's spoke much more of this era than Kristian's did. The scruff of his beard and his aquiline nose held a masculine character that was softened by the glint in his eyes and the smile he had held for Pam.

"Did he ever speak of Pam?" I pondered aloud as I was still digesting the unusual sight of my friend earlier that night. I had always suspected Pam sought relationships with women because no man would measure up to the one she shared with her maker. Witnessing the electricity that warred between them seemed to prove just that. It had also revealed a side of Pam that I had never encountered before, she had let her guard down with me in private often enough but I had never seen this softness reside in her.

"In passing," Eric replied as we were nearing the gates to Pam's vast estate. "I didn't know their relationship was so intimate."

When the engine came to a standstill Eric made no move to leave the confines of the car. Again he didn't respond to me when I called out his name. He only reacted when I grabbed his hand in mine. "Where did you go?"

He didn't answer me with words but rather a swell that touched upon my lips. It wasn't unwelcome but this kiss reeked of desperation and insecurity. Not in himself but rather the situation.

"Hey," I whispered soothingly as he leaned his head into the palm of my hand seeking the comfort I was offering there. We were walking into the unknown but I had chartered that ground often enough in the past decade by myself. There was little left that would scare me on my own anymore, Eric was merely an unparalleled strength beside me that added to that. "Things are never going to be simple between us and that's ok. Don't let others complicate it further."

He nodded accepting the validity of my words though it did little to ease his mind. I was appreciative of his concern but I refused to feel any until I found cause for it. Life was too short for that. I swung my legs out of the low riding car and found him waiting by my side. I reached for his arm to bring myself up to my full height and found an appreciative smile on his face.

"I think the only sight of you more beautiful in that dress is you out of it," he leered causing my cheeks to flush in an accompanying shade to the garment he insisted I wear tonight. I was glad to see the playful twinkle return to his blue gaze, and though overt advances like this one usually made me shy away, I simply shook my head in disapproval. The poorly contained smile on my face rendered that gesture completely useless.

"Do you have x-ray vision now?" I teased back hoping he sincerely didn't. His laugh confirmed as much and I was glad to see it return. It reminded me of the time we were both just humans and I would wait on him in the diner. A strange realisation occurred to me how time that had altered our lives in reversal. Things were uncertain but we had remained a constant presence in each other's lives despite the other's absence in it. Now we were constants in an uncertain time. I could only assume we would be better for it if we stuck by each other's side.

I am his as he is mine. It had remained unspoken but it was implied. Without thought I had not denied Aelia's statement that I was his. _We_ just needed to have the conversation, but I knew now was not the time as he ushered me through Pam's home. I had to stifle a laugh as he was unconsciously giving me a tour of the home that I probably knew better than he did. Eric only seemed to realise when one of Pam's staff greeted me familiarly. I was glad to hear no one had gotten hurt in the explosion and by the sound of the hammers I knew it wouldn't be long till Pam's palace was in a pristine state once more.

"I forget sometimes you know this world better than me," he said in apology. I no longer let my amusement hide as I consciously let my features speak for me. Pam had informed me Eric couldn't read my minute facial expressions as well as she or Godric could as his isolation from other Sanguines kept him uneducated on certain fronts. His assessment was probably more accurate than he thought, I indeed knew the way of the Sanguine better than he. Eric had the supernatural skills where I possessed the knowledge of court life in unknowingly assisting Pam all these years and vicariously picking up the traits along the way.

"Between the two of us we'll figure it all out eventually," I returned encouragingly as we continued to stare at a grotesque portrait of Pam. She had told me once it was a gift she was unable to refuse. Now that it was revealed how high her standing truly was among the Sanguine I could better understand that in the present. It made me see the portrait and by extension Pam in a different light.

Her stoic appearance was related to her regal stature, she couldn't be anyone but the person in the portrait to the outside world. Her characteristic snark and disdain that she let run free in my presence was a reaction to the sycophancy she was undoubtedly surrounded by at all other hours.

We were joined by an impure blooded vampire who held the appearance of a teenage boy with the palest of hairs. I had never seen him roam the halls of Pam's estate before and with all the past evenings' events I couldn't help but be suspicious of his presence.

"Our Queen is a real beauty is she not?" he asked breaking into our private conversation. The tone he used made it hard to discern if he was truly flattering Pam or implying the exact opposite. The glee that shone through his eager eyes seemed unrelated to what he was trying to say. It was the look I had seen other Impurus carry whenever they smelled blood in the air. The look of his innocent boyish features combined with what Pam had described as bloodlust was a disconcerting cocktail I wanted nothing to do with.

"Yes," Eric agreed before pulling me closer as if sensing my discomfort with this vampire's presence. "Excuse us."

As we made to move he called after us when our backs had already turned towards him. The words he spoke sent disgust through both our systems. "When you are through with that donor, send her down to me," he had requested of Eric. It was the first time I witnessed a Sanguine in his full force of strength. Eric had left my side in an instant and when I turned round he already had the Impurus pinned against the stone wall snarling with his fangs out. The only other time I had seen them was when he had playfully displayed them or they had accidentally slipped out at my tongue's insistence. Now I finally saw the danger those incisors truly possessed.

"She is no donor," Eric seethed out to the Impurus beneath him that struggled in his strain. "Apologise. NOW!" The bark in his voice was so menacing it almost had me offering the demanded words. A strangled sorry came out before Eric released him at which he fell into a puddle of limbs upon the floor. I pulled my eyes away from the scene as the fair haired vampire writhed in pain on the shiny marble slabs staining them red. This was a side of Pam's world I never had to face before but it came with Eric's. There was no denying that as civilised as the Sanguine may be, their relations to the Impurus left something to be desired when it came to conflict management.

On instinct I ran. I left the grand hallway as quickly as my heels would allow in search of Pam. I left Eric behind with a look to his face that I had yet to place. It could have been remorse or confusion, regardless I didn't stand there long enough to dissect it. He could have caught up to me with his impressive speed but he didn't, perhaps bloodlust had taken charge of him as well. I knew what I felt and it was fear. Whether of him or for him was something I had yet to determine.

Instead of finding Pam my trajectory was interjected by Aelia. Her impressive silhouette was now covered in a floor length gown in a minimal style. When you were as impressive of beauty as she there was little need for embellishment. The colour was strikingly similar to the dress I wore which paled in comparison to hers now.

She didn't seem the type to compete for the best dressed of the night. Aelia would win that without challenge every time and she was clearly not the type of woman who survived the ages by continually seeking out conflict. The matching colour signified more than that, she was announcing we resided in the same team, her comment that we were all but family repeated in my head. I knew my telepathy to be unique but somehow I suspected this was more than that.

"Sookie," she smiled widely as my heightened breath held me flustered. When I caught it again she had me seated on one of Pam's dainty sofas in the adjoining pastel salon. The bold colour of our dresses were like inflicting wounds to the genteel décor.

"Aelia," I finally managed to breathe out in a return greeting.

"Oxygen is such an interesting substance once you have no need for it," she commented as I sucked it in greedily. Her gaze was less penetrating than before and perhaps I was foolish but I took the warmth in her voice as kindness. Eric, Pam and Godric may be fearful of her intentions but I saw through her just as easily as I had when first meeting Pam. She was a mother protecting her cubs and by extension of Eric I had become one. "What has you exerting yourself so?"

I eyed her warily, she seemed gentle and maternal. Something I had never experienced with my own mother, so I had a hard time placing it as genuine concern. Like my interactions with Eric it pushed me to a place of the unknown, it was scary and exciting at the same time. Pam had been the one I wanted to unload my concerns onto but I allowed Aelia in on the events that had me foolishly running in painful shoes.

"Ferocity is not uncommon in one as young as Eric," she said sagely. Though I knew this consciously, to hear it from someone as ancient as her gave me some peace with the events that occurred. "Especially with the ones he loves. You must allow him to express it or it simply erupts out like that."

I nodded in accordance with her assessment. Eric was a bottler when it came to his emotions. A common characteristic of the cold climate to which he was born to but it ran stronger in him than most. His sister Lovisa had speculated more than once that had Eric expressed his objections to his marriage to Freyda as vocally as he felt them, his parents would not have continued to insist on it. That characterised Eric to me most in his absence, he was the type to suffer in silence so others wouldn't have to share the pain or the burden. If he could he'd carry the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"You love him, do you not?" Aelia requested with a discerning brow line that I had come to recognise as a trait shared by all the Aurelies. I was quieted by her question, to say I loved him was too strong but it was a path I didn't see myself avoiding. Whatever it was that lay between us it warranted to be explored and I was sure there would be sides to me that Eric would not appreciate. At my continued absence of an answer she continued, "Love is the acceptance of another despite their flaws. You will discover this soon enough."

"I never thought it would happen for me," I replied unsure why Aelia invited me to open up so easily. "For most of my adult life I was convinced no one would be accepting of the flaw I carried. I knew my ability was a gift that had merit but when it came to personal relationships it was more akin to a crippling hurdle."

"What flaw do you speak of my dear?" Aelia asked with confusion. Her scrutiny of my own returned as she raked her intensely dark eyes over me as if looking for a physical sign of it.

"My telepathy," I spoke evenly not bothering to skirt around the cause of her interest in me for any longer.

"How is that a flaw my dear?" she said with misunderstanding. "You are all telepathic."

"Who are all telepathic?" Eric's familiar voice suddenly asked from behind me before I could. I had been so engrossed in my conversation with Aelia I hadn't even sensed the arrival of his signature void. Aelia's face travelled curiously between ours before she answered.

"The Fae of course."

…

…

…

**A/N: The WiFi has been testy again… I was thankful to get Pam's instalment of It's Already Gone up Sunday. Thankfully I managed to get this uploaded today but I am in need of some new sacrifices for the WiFi gods. Suggestions welcome…**

**For those of you who enjoy that sort of thing there is a picture of Sookie and Aelia's dress at the end of this chapter on my blog: .com .**

**As I am still on holiday mode updates will come when they come. The next story to get an update will be Galatea's Descent.**


	10. Chapter 10 - Bloodlines

"_You love him, do you not?" Aelia requested with a discerning brow line that I had come to recognise as a trait shared by all the Aurelies. I was quieted by her question, to say I loved him was too strong but it was a path I didn't see myself avoiding. Whatever it was that lay between us it warranted to be explored and I was sure there would be sides to me that Eric would not appreciate. At my continued absence of an answer she continued, "Love is the acceptance of another despite their flaws. You will discover this soon enough."_

"_I never thought it would happen for me," I replied unsure why Aelia invited me to open up so easily. "For most of my adult life I was convinced no one would be accepting of the flaw I carried. I knew my ability was a gift that had merit but when it came to personal relationships it was more akin to a crippling hurdle."_

"_What flaw do you speak of my dear?" Aelia asked with confusion. Her scrutiny of my own returned as she raked her intensely dark eyes over me as if looking for a physical sign of it. _

"_My telepathy," I spoke evenly not bothering to skirt around the cause of her interest in me for any longer._

"_How is that a flaw my dear?" she said with misunderstanding. "You are all telepathic."_

"_Who are all telepathic?" Eric's familiar voice suddenly asked from behind me before I could. I had been so engrossed in my conversation with Aelia I hadn't even sensed the arrival of his signature void. Aelia's face travelled curiously between ours before she answered._

"_The Fae of course."_

**Chapter 10 – Bloodlines **

**EPOV**

"What are the Fae?" Sookie asked of Aelia, while her eyes seemed to plead to mine for comfort. I sat down beside her feet as the small sofa barely accommodated the two of them. My grandest sire gave me a curious look indicating that it was an unbecoming position for me to sit on the floor. When Sookie reached out for my hand Aelia's discerning look alleviated as our hands locked.

I knew for certain then that whatever her demands would be of us she wouldn't interfere in our personal relationship. However, what she wanted of Sookie was now a mystery to me. Godric had told me some about the Fae but it was no longer fresh in my mind. As far as he was informed they were extinct but then my maker only ever knew one telepath. Sookie was one of many or perhaps the last. Not everything always was as it appeared.

Like the united front Sookie and I were showing in display. She needed me for support now as a part of her mysterious identity was uncovered. I was thankful it was me she sought out, despite the earlier incident. There was, however, no doubt in my mind that when afforded the privacy of just the two of us we would need to discuss my outburst towards the Impurus known as André. His maker had been incensed at his treatment and though there would be no repercussions for me, I knew there were reparations to be made. With Sookie and with André.

"Fairies," I answered when Aelia seemed too distracted to answer Sookie. It seemed Aelia was unaware till now that the source of Sookie's telepathy was a mystery revealed to us both at the same time. I recognised Aelia's calculated look, it was no different to the one she carried when I was first presented to her scrutiny. Her inquisitive gaze had penetrated every single part of my body then as I performed the 'tricks' that were the result of my turning. I only knew Aelia as the encouraging kind person she had been to Sookie tonight but Godric had made it clear to me the woman who held her seat for millennia was one with a heart of metal. Very few were held with affection behind that harness.

Where Godric had been cold and aloof to me, Aelia had always been warm and inviting to me. I didn't know it then on account of the amnesia but she reminded me of my grandmother and her emotional nourishment was something I sought even now. Many men had tried to seek a place in her bed, I never did. She was committed to a human companion that had sat at her side for centuries. Without my memories I lacked the confidence of conquest that I held in my human days. Her beauty was undeniable and it had caught my attention but it had not been that which endeared her to me. Aelia had told me once that those that saw beyond her façade were a rare breed that never failed to disappoint her. I was one of those chosen few.

As a constant source of disappointment to Godric in my fledgling nights her continued confidence in me had given me grounding. I stopped trying to appease my maker's every whim and simply listened to what he asked of me. I held suspicions she had spoken to my maker of it as well, since his reprimands came with praise soon after.

Godric and Pam had soiled my mind with Aelia's intent, she didn't politicise her own family. I knew that and should have trusted in that. I was sure she had plans for Sookie and perhaps myself but it was for the good of the family. Her familial demeanour with Sookie was not an acted front, my panic at the airfield was a phantom Sookie had the insight to recognise. She indeed knew this world far better than me.

"I knew I wasn't normal… but a fairy?" I couldn't help but smile at her stammer. The innocence of her that shone so brightly when we first met all those years ago was revealed in her befuddlement. There sat the girl that had stolen my heart then and continued to hold it now.

"I told you, you were unique," I smiled at her encouragingly. Her face softened with that, it was almost as if she was scared that this final piece of information about her would scare me off. The woman she had grown into in my absence hadn't done so either. She was simply more now and I loved it all. "You're supposed to be extinct."

"I'm the last of my kind?" Sookie asked with a tremble in her voice. I knew loneliness had plagued her for much of her life, it was obvious to me that's where she and Pam had bonded. The thought of her being the sole survivor of a once impressive species had me hurting with her. Now I felt like a shit for making her feel that way.

"On this plane, perhaps," Aelia answered. "The Fae retreated to a realm of their own when the Impurus' numbers rose exponentially. War will do that to our species unfortunately. You have noticed they are especially eager around you."

"Yes," we both replied in synch with the incident with André still fresh on our minds. In truth it hadn't been his demeaning of Sookie to a status as donor that had incensed me. It was his intrusion and his apparent lusting after her and I knew it had unnerved Sookie greatly in the process. His comment was simply the catalyst that set off my rage.

"There is a reason why our house is so discriminating towards their kind," Aelia sneered. It had always been a part of the new order of my life I had trouble coming to terms with. The class system of our species was one I couldn't reconcile with the social democratic principles of the country that raised me. My dearest grandmother was a staunch Socialist that would have had her arrested by McCarthy himself had she resided in my adopted homeland. My handlings in business had always been motivated by fairness and equality for my employees, yet I had no choice but to participate in the debasing of the foul blooded.

"Our house name Aurelie refers to gold as it has been used as a symbol for purity, value, royalty, and particularly roles that combine these properties. In our case it's an homage to colour of the sun since we can withstand its rays," Aelia continued to explain though I could not understand how this pertained to her discrimination of the Impurus. "When I was made we were still called Caelius-Aurelius to designate we were of the heavens, the golden sky. Our houses were once aligned Sookie, it's where our resistance to the sun and gift of flight comes from. In turn the Sky Fae enjoyed our immortality and increased strength in their light.

"Unfortunately the foul blooded lack our restraint when it comes to those with Fae blood. They killed our alliance and it was the remaining houses of Sanguine that failed to join with the houses of Fae that encouraged the breeding of the Impurus. War soon followed and it resulted in the retreat of your kind," Aelia noted with a hint of sadness. "I have been waiting for a very long time for our houses to stand by each other's sides once more. The recent rebellion of the Impurus only informs me of its necessity."

"This is why you consider her family," I observed. Her lack of aging was now explained to me as we apparently both reaped the rewards of our counter bloodlines. "Is she…"

"Immortal?" Aelia finished my question filled with hope. "Like us, you can be killed. Your human component makes you slightly more fragile dear, do not be reckless with yourself," she warned at Sookie who only barely seemed to be able to take in what was being said about her. "But your body will not kill you. It will not deteriorate and you heal better than most."

"I can't speak for a house I know nothing of," Sookie said evenly. "I cannot make an alliance in their name."

"It is not about speaking or documents, my dear dove," Aelia soothed. "It all comes down to the blood. Yours and ours. As our bloodlines continue to combine our collective strengths will increase. We have already noted a change since Eric has fed from you."

"That was but mere drops," I said in confusion.

"It was enough for Ærø to insist he accompany me," Aelia replied with a knowing look that required no explanation. Pam's maker was notorious for refusing to leave his post. Their intimate reunion had only barely surpassed my surprise at his unexpected appearance on the tarmac.

"And here I thought he had come for Pam," Sookie spoke lowly with an accompanying roll of her eyes.

"That too," Aelia chuckled. We were interrupted by the call of the dinner bell halting the continuance of our private conversation further. The implication was clear to me, she sought for us to exchange blood in a bonding ceremony and I assumed Sookie perceptive enough to have caught that too. Her deflection with humour was evidence enough that she was avoiding the weightier end of the dialogue.

I had already initiated talks of her taking my blood but apart from the accidental slip up we had yet to discuss me partaking in hers. As I escorted them both to the dining hall I couldn't help but notice the change in demeanour in Sookie. Her shields were coming up along with a social veneer that I had first observed at the charity banquet when I was reintroduced to the world at large. She was running on autopilot during much of the dinner then and now.

Pam had an impressive chef that applied principles of molecular gastronomy to rare blood types. As delicious as that was, there was little appetite in me after our conversation with Aelia. Across the table I noted Sookie was of similar mind. She avoided meeting my gaze as she made polite conversation with the people seated beside her. I didn't know if she wanted her mind free of our discussion with Aelia or if she was punishing me for my poorly held contained rage with André. Perhaps it was a mixture of both.

I was unfortunately seated next to the irritable maker of that particular Impurus. Her attitude towards me had clearly changed from the moment I entered the dining hall with Sookie and Aelia on my arms. She had been desperately trying to engage my Grandest Sire in conversation since and considered me the vehicle of access. Like Sookie, Aelia had her shields firmly in place. I wondered where I could buy some of my own to ward off Sophie-Anne and her nasal whining.

"It was quite tiresome bypassing all the patrols, your majesty," the red headed vampire tried once more engaging Pam into a conversation. This time, however, there was no polite way for Pam to bow out of a reaction as all other conversations had halted to a stop. There had been other lowly spoken grumbles at the table of Pam's decision to include the Sanguine in the night curfew. It was only out of decorum that it wasn't spoken louder. Our hearing left nothing unsaid. The other invited Sanguine at the table were showing their slight appal at the comment even though the whispers had emanated from them earlier.

"My east wing is not under construction for mere changes in décor," Pam returned evenly. "Preferential treatment is what has inspired the Impurus to attack."

"So you give into their demands?" Sophie-Anne retorted haughtily. If looks could kill then Sophie-Anne would have burst into flames with the anger that resided in Sookie's eyes. Though I was pretty sure Pam held the same emotions, her blank façade revealed nothing of an ire.

"I am merely displaying no one is exempt from suspicion," Pam replied as a flash of sympathy was expressed from Sookie to her. The movement was minute but I caught it as her maker inched his pinkie finger to rest beside hers. The slight agitation visible in Pam subsided with the small surface of contact. "I do not employ the Impurus in my household as you do Sophie-Anne."

"You suspect one of your own?" another Sanguine asked with an affronted manner. He had been one of many that had waggled their tongue earlier in the evening. Assuredly he and the others would continue that same movement after this dinner was done.

"She would not be such a capable queen if she did not rule it out," Aelia said coming to her defence. Her words carried the weight necessary for the disgruntled among them to subside their protestations. "Times are changing and we must move with them or face extinction."

With Aelia's last sentence my eyes locked with Sookie's across the table. It was said for our benefit though it held a different meaning for those at the table. It didn't fail the notice of my maker who sat in close proximity to her. I received a questioning prod through the bond I shared with him but it was hardly an answer that could be spoken aloud. I returned a signal that indicated we would speak of it later. Appeased with that he continued a conversation beside him.

Sookie's eyes had yet to waver from mine in the process, Aelia's request had just become a weight on her shoulders. As much as I would have loved to be able to carry that for her I knew it was her burden to carry on her own. This was the other side to unique, and unfortunately it was the side she was most accompanied with.

I leaned across the table and I repeated the sentence that she had spoken to me in comfort, hoping it would have the same effect for her, "Things are never going to be simple between us and that's ok. Don't let others complicate it further."

Her smile was watery but it was there nonetheless and it didn't speak of sadness. She seemed to heed her own advice and her defences slipped in place again as I stood witness to her transformation. A part of me was sealed along with her, the strength she had borrowed me returned to her.

Thankfully our obligatory presence at dinner was soon over. I was glad I was relinquished from Sophie-Anne's continued blabber about her children as well as the horrendous sight of their photos on her phone that I was forced to see one by one. She really didn't select them on looks or any other reasonable quality I could discern. The sing song in her voice did nothing distract from the annoyance that was her running continual commentary.

It brought me to a new perspective, the existence of these children had left Sookie standing solitary for most of her life, abandoned by the kin they hunted. From the multitude of pictures they only seemed capable of entertaining an overindulged Sanguine. I didn't have much sympathy for Aelia's prejudice but I was beginning to understand it more now.

As I politely left the table at greater haste than most it was Sookie who found me first. She grabbed me by the hand and dragged me wordlessly through a secret passage I had no knowledge existed. We ended up by ourselves in the conservatory that housed Pam's English tea roses. The aromas were alluring yet it did nothing to drown out the scent of her, they seemed simply content to live by each other's side.

"We should talk," Sookie announced as she patted the seat beside her on the large daybed that sat at the edge of the room overlooking the formal gardens of the exterior. I obliged her and was surprised to find her leaning her body into mine when I settled down.

"Aelia or the incident first?" I asked while snaking my arm round her waist pulling her with me to lay on our backs so we could look up to the clear starry sky through the glass ceiling.

"I want to know if there are any others like me," Sookie said as she rested her head on my chest. "I trust Aelia's words but I don't want to find myself making alliances on behalf of people I don't know. If it comes down to the survival of your house my blood has already been promised to Pam in an emergency. I won't retract that agreement."

"You agreed to that under different circumstances," I pointed out as my fingers trailed through the loose ends of her hair. "There is no obligation to abide by it."

Her face turned up towards mine, by the stern set of it I knew her mind was already made up. "Most of my life my net worth has equated the validity of my words Eric," she returned sternly. "It was all I could ever afford."

"Don't let pride be your downfall," I countered and I saw a modicum of acceptance travel across her eyes. She nodded her head as I admitted, "I let it be mine tonight and there was no prize in my conduct. I'm sorry."

"Are you sorry for what you did or that I was a witness to it?" she asked my chest. It was the first time I ever sensed true insecurity in her about me. My actions had shattered an image she had built up from the intricacies of my human mind. My fingers nudged her chin towards mine again. I wanted to look her in the eyes when I answered.

"Both," I said truthfully and conveyed it through every pore of my body. "Officially I owe him no apology but he will have one. I don't approve of his behaviour around you but my reaction was excessive."

She nodded with satisfaction before she answered, "That's all I needed to hear."

Our heads turned collectively to the ceiling of the night sky once more. After the silence lasted longer than I cared for I asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I think we should have sex."

...

…

…

**A/N: I am well aware that's the worse place to stop, so your hate is warranted. Most likely it will continue on in the next instalment but there will be something there probably just not what you wanted… **

**To make up for the lacklustre ending of the TB finale I am utilising the announcement posts for the stories on the blog to write little quick fixes around the 'Thank You' episode. They're proving pretty popular over there so I decided to add them to this site too, they're collected under the name Thanksgiving Fixin's. Anyhow they're uber short and I'll see how far my imagination stretches but there's a couple rummaging around in my head and they take as long to write as my usual announcement posts so it works for me.**


	11. Chapter 11 - You

Chapter 11 – You

**PPOV**

As if no time had passed a hardbound book rested on my bare back and my maker's face rested slightly above my rear as he read to me aloud. His taste in literature had changed since the last time we lay like this. Shakespeare had been traded for Hollinghurst*. One hand turned the pages as the other explored the depths of my folds. It was a torture only the hands of my maker could bring me. Sweet release would be hours away. I didn't care, the journey was worth far more than the destination.

He was the man who introduced me into the pleasure of carnal delights when my body still carried more than the temperature of the room, discarding me of the membrane proclaiming an innocence I never possessed. My skin flushed with heat then as his cool body settled the fever that ran rampant inside of me. Every coupling between us has been chasing the initiation of that one since. Tonight was no different.

He placed a soft kiss on my tail bone as he finished another chapter. The book fell closed, heavy with its own weight. The tip of his nose trailed the sensitised skin of my spine, another kiss was placed at the base of my neck. I whimpered at the consecutive loss of his fingers inside me before I was quieted with his seeking tongue in my mouth. It was a preferential invasion I happily laid siege to.

"I have missed this my humlebi," Kristian mumbled between the soft kisses that embraced the skin of my jaw. I could only agree with affirmative mewls as his body encompassed over mine. His touch was as gentle as it was firm. The appendage that would otherwise offend me on any other man writhed over my backside wetting my appetite. Nothing with him would come this easy and tonight would be no different.

I happily followed where he would lead, the burden of eternal responsibility lying elsewhere for but a few hours. Yet my mind was still digesting the events of the night as he turned our bodies to their sides.

"What do I do Kristian?" I sighed as my maker's caressing hand explored the expanse of my stomach. His teasing fingers hovered over my sex before he pulled the support of his body from mine rolling me onto my back. A smile he only reserved for me graced his face as he looked down into my eyes. I was already getting ready to laugh in anticipation of the answer.

"You open your legs and let me in," he smirked. It was a glorious sight to witness again, it had been too many years between us. I couldn't help but brush away at the long strands of hair that fell over his brow. It was a futile movement, it wasn't long enough to stay put behind his ears without a stiff product. "You don't even have to move."

I hid my amusement in my face as I played along in our amateur dramatic society of two. "You really think I would forget how to do that?" I insinuated with an arched brow. His lips quickly trailed the contours of the delicate hairs pulled in tension in pursuit of the movement.

"I have heard only women grace your fine linens these days," Kristian whispered as his kisses followed around my eye socket and down my cheeks.

"My queendom Kristian," I retorted with an irritation that would never truly be there for my maker.

"Let me take care of you and the rest will care for itself," he soothed with the same gentleness of his fingertips that trailed over the fine hairs of my skin barely touching but sensitising with great intensity. Despite his rugged looks his hands were soft. Swords had been wielded with fine leather gloves and labour had never indented them as human or vampire. They were filled with strength but to me they would always be tender in their exploration. With his weakening of my defences I was no longer able to act and the show we were performing fell away like the curtains of hair framing his face. The hesitation and uncertainty of the moment surrounding us was clearly legible on my face. His deep blue eyes sought out my own as he ascertained what ailed my mind. "You thought I only came to admire the little Fae?"

"You wouldn't be the first," I returned with a weak smile. My eyes had started to water, something they only ever seemed able to do in the presence of this man. Only with him could I let go and release the tension that built up inside me and I had been dangerously close to my breaking point. The impact of the events finally crashed down on me in a relentless wave. I shook with pain and grief as he held me securely encompassed in his arms. I felt like a newborn once more, awake to sensations I could no longer control, my body screaming in every corner of my cognizance. Kristian didn't pacify it with the false sense of comfort he could send through our bond, he let me feel everything as it searched for an outlet.

I screamed at a deafening tone till the chords that defined my vocals expired from use. My silent tears became sobs as I quivered my trembling form in his steady grasp. He rocked me in his arms feeling everything as I felt it. All I could sense from him was his love and admiration for me. Kristian didn't take my pain, he merely shared it. He kissed the tracks of my tears away one by one. I sought his lips to selfishly rest on my own as they shamelessly expressed the need I felt for him. His mouth returned to a smile as the heaviness of the mood was slowly expelled from around us.

"Pamela," he breathed out as we both felt myself returning to a state of calm and a vague contentment. I gave him a full smile in return, one I hid away for years only to be released in return to another. To this other. It was solely held in reserve for the two of us and it was a knowledge we both accepted and held dear.

A gold necklace appeared around my neck with a large diamond pendant that rested between my bare breasts. The metal was cool while my skin was still warmed from his touches. I didn't need to look to know it was flawless and completely abiding to my discerning tastes. I stood up from the bed regardless and walked over to the large mirror in my dressing room.

The dull sheen in my eyes had lifted but they hardly shone as brightly as the brilliant hanging from my neck. It didn't surprise me he remembered my preference of pink gold over the standard yellow. Neither one of us had the ability to forget, our every experience or the other. I looked down while my fingers trailed the fragile chain that scooped down before my own wondering hands were met with another set.

One hand snaked round my waist as the other continued to fondle at my breast, the sensitive nipple cruelly left ignored. My eyes lifted their attention from the sparkling gem that rested near my heart to lock with the man whose gaze was captivated with my reflection.

"Such a pretty thing for my pretty one," he said with a softness that was foreign even to me. The image of the two of us staring back was undeniably one of beauty, one that spoke of eternity where our encounters were always brief. "There are none that compare to you, humlebi."

I knew he meant it, I had yet to catch him caught in a lie. There was no necessity for me to act coy when we both knew I never was and never would be that. "It's beautiful Kristian," I replied warmly as the heat started to grow inside me. His fingers probed once more as he parted my outer lips to reveal the protruding pink glans to our collective reflection. The female anatomy was a sight of splendour we relished in with equal vigour, his hungry gaze easily matched my own.

"It reminded me of this," he said as his other hand joined the fray parting me wider to the mirror. Two free fingers tapped at my clit intermittently at a speed which I only managed to register when I cried out in shock with the sudden invasion of it. His hands held me steady into his strongly built chest as my flailing legs were lifted from the solid ground. I clenched with need as my sex lay splayed out before me. The tip of his erection stood standing firm underneath collecting the natural lubricant as it fell beneath me.

I squeezed my thighs together desperate for the friction he was denying me, crossing my ankles as his hands let up the tight hold he had on me. My arms moved behind me as I hung from his neck as his arm held me suspended in the air by the waist. He rocked his throbbing cock back and forth slowly in the slippery passage created between my thighs. The other hand that had remained free rubbed lazy circles around my clit anchoring me to him as we both observed the closeness of our near joining in the reflection of the mirror.

"Let me taste you," I requested in a whisper as I saw the pre-cum start to weep out of his slit. He didn't disconnect our movement as he continued to ignore my words. So I begged by pleading his name.

"No," he answered so sternly that it pricked tears into the corners of my eyes. "I'm here to take care of you, not the other way round." His adjusted gentle tone kept the wetness confined but his rocking movement stopped as soon as a small climax caught me out of breath. With a minor shake in my legs I was set onto the floor again as he turned me round to face him and a tender kiss was placed on my lips. "What would you like?" he asked with a kind and encouraging smile.

"You," was the simplest answer I could give and he would know exactly what it meant. In a movement we had made many times before my legs lifted around his waist as he held me up by the soft of my behind. My arms rested atop his strong shoulders as I inhaled his scent in the crook of his neck. His fingers explored a little in the ridge of my now parted cheeks but I knew he'd go no further tonight. It was in memory of our first night that this performance would repeat.

My back hit the cool starch of the linens as I demurely parted my thighs at an innocent stance. Well as innocent as I ever was able. Pooling black, his eyes raked the sight of my body looking for a change or difference he would never find. Our bodies were exactly the same as then. The only the thing that ever changed with the times was the stance of our hairs.

Open mouth kisses travelled from my feet down my inner thigh, he only stopped to nuzzle the soft curls of hair that lay in between inhaling the scent of me and him. A draft of cool air ran over my glistening sex as it was emitted from his lungs. It shivered my body in anticipatory delight of the sensations only this man could ever bring. The kisses ventured up again till he reached the pinnacle at my knee where our eyes locked in a firm hold.

"You," I whispered omitting the two preceding words neither of us would ever admit to holding for the other. Love was an unspoken and crippling thing and there was no I, only an 'us'. He positioned his body between my thighs as his hands trailed down the sides of my body dipping into the singed waist a human lifetime of corsets had fashioned.

"Just breathe and exhale," he said softly. Kristian had repeated the line he had spoken to a flustered version of me when it was still necessary for my survival to do just that. I would never be flustered again after that night. His tone was almost accusing as he finished his previous sentence up with, "You."

My lips pursed in amusement as I acted the petulant child to the stern disciplinarian. Instead of punishment I received a rewarding kiss clearing my face of any disobedience as his tongue fought mine. We had gone on for hours like this in the past neither one of us refusing to concede. Only the sun would ultimately force our rest and we would continue to battle immediately upon rising. Tonight was different. Like he said, he came to take care of me and I would let him.

It came without warning just as it had then but I didn't gasp this time as he inched inside of me. I knew what to expect as he edged along the engorging walls that flooded out to greet the former victor of these nether lands. We fit just like that, barely a millimetre left between us and we shook in satisfaction as we reacquainted ourselves with the sensation of it. He set a languid pace as he murmured sweet nothings to my ears between pecks and blunt bites. Our reunion wasn't complete without him seeking out all the spots that drove me to that impending edge, close but never quite there.

A silent truce travelled between us and his hands immediately grabbed underneath my body seeking the full globes of my ass lifting me onto his now kneeling legs. In response my ankles locked behind his neck before he started to pound away. We had stopped portraying what we once were and verged into the territory of how we fucked since our time apart. I screamed again though the sounds of slapping skins. This time not in agony but in a continual stream of pleasure, only curses were able to leave my mouth in rare moments of comprehension. He only grinned in satisfaction as the expletives reached his ears, my filthy mouth had remained unchanged throughout the centuries as his cock throbbed in approval with each one as he continued to batter away. The heavy pendant of my necklace bounced from breast to breast between small leaps into the air, scenting it with my blood as it scratched away delicately at my skin.

A string of orgasms set off as he leaned forward forcing himself as deeply as possible. I clenched, aggressively strangling his cock in a hold even his strength would find hard to match. "Fuck," he groaned as the whites of his eyes flashed wide, his pupils falling back into his skull. While holding back what he almost threatened to spill with great effort I took advantage of his momentary weakening of defences and had him on his back the pulsating movement of my walls massaging the length of him as he continued to withhold his own completion from me.

The determination was clearly expressed in the fire of my eyes and the strength I called from every muscle in my body as I aggressively rode him closer to climax. Even as I moved his hands to squeeze at my breasts he didn't relent and I despised the kindness that resided in his eyes. It was no use fighting him he would always best me in the end. Exhausted I slumped on to his chest and expelled the air he told me to take and release, "Kristian… You."

With that white flag we found ourselves on our sides as he moved against me again stroking out the last of the sensations inside of me. My hands fisted into the short hairs on his scalp as disoriented lips sought each other as if seeking absolution. A nostalgic gasp escaped me and fell into the cavern of his mouth as the last thrill my body was able to release, wracked through every nerve of my system. I died just like I did then and he came with me sinking his fangs into my neck. Only in this moment did I miss the beats of my heart as I wanted to feel it slow down into nothing again. Instead of warm soil covering us both for three nights it was the heavy down duvet that cocooned us into a world of our own.

"You'd think I'd forget the night we first met?" he whispered in our newly founded dark realm. I fondled the diamond in between my fingers understanding its sudden appearance. There was no sense in trying to cover up my moment of forgetfulness. Technically I hadn't forgotten, I simply stood unknown of the date in circumstance of all that had gathered around us. Any other year and the party three nights from now would have surpassed the one that preceded it. This night had always been for the two of us. My sin was pardoned with a tender kiss to my forehead, scaring away the frown that had settled there.

"I remember that night often," Kristian said longingly with a raw honesty I didn't heard from him often. "When I caught the spirit of your wild eyes across the room and I knew you were not meant for humanity."

"You told me I didn't belong there," I alleged as my fingers whisked away at dark blond hairs on his chest. My wandering hand was stilled with his as he took the tips and kissed them one by one.

"You didn't," Kristian returned as he kissed down to my inner wrist. He inhaled my scent as it emanated strong on that particular spot. "You were overdressed."

"You can only ever be underdressed," I huffed out in defence, remembering the elaborate gown that was indeed better suited to a Royal Gala rather than the bourgeois party we were both attending.

His hand closed over the pendant as he chuckled, "Only you, min lille humlebi, could be overdressed in bed."

"You," I intoned with a menace I failed to back up, "are the one who dressed me with this tonight."

"Should I take it off," Kristian threatened playfully as he held the clasp in between his fingers. I growled darkly in return at which he chuckled, "I knew you would like it."

"I do," I returned with a softness that would only ever be reserved for him. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to give in return." My apology fell on deaf ears as he silenced my lips with his own.

"When are you going to learn," he admonished. "You are a gift to me. No fortune I can amass will ever be able to repay what I found in you."

"Don't," I warned pulling myself from his encompassing embrace. I left the warmth of the bed for the cool air and soon found myself running my fingers through the luxurious silks of my nightgowns.

"The light blue one," the deep voice recommended from behind me. It had arrived on my doorstep exactly one year ago, the tags still attached. Our arms reached out for the identical gown at the same time. He held the soft satin hanger quicker than I, spinning me round in the process. "Arms," he instructed to which I raised them up in accordance. The lightweight fabric fluttered down around my body cooling my heated skin. He raised my chin to his and he waited till I kissed him in apology for my earlier disregard. There was no hesitation on my account, my lips were always drawn to his mouth whatever expression they held.

On his guiding hand we returned to the bed. He sat against the headboard while I sat on the edge brushing out my hairs knowing his eyes followed every movement I made.

"How's Katarzyna?" I asked after his housekeeper who for much of her life has been his live in mistress. I don't know what their relationship is now, she retreats to his other home whenever I have visited. I only met her just the once. She's probably old now, I would have heard about it if she had died.

"Her memory is failing. I think it won't be long till Sofia takes her in permanently," he replied. Kristian never spoke of her with much warmth, I don't know if it was for my benefit or that he really felt little for her. He never had asked permission to feed her his blood, not that Aelia would grant that. I didn't like to think so but he did indeed care for her but it came with an expiration date. Detachment had already set in with her physical deterioration.

"How is my sister?" I asked of Sofia, Katarzyna's natural daughter, who had been raised as Kristian's human child. Her I had met on every visit and I had to admit she was amusing for a breather.

"Putting us all to shame with her mind," he grinned like a true father. I knew his affection of her wouldn't expire with her death like it already had with Katarzyna. Then again their liking wasn't based on mere attraction.

"The usual then," I returned as he lifted the covers up for me to slide in beside him. His arm pulled me close as I handed him the hardbound volume again. "Finish what you started."

My head rested on his bare chest as he found the page he last left. A soft kiss was placed on my forehead before our eyes started raking the pages for the words. I remained silent while the raw timbre of his voice reverted back to the eloquent upper class enunciation of the night when we first met.

It suited the tone of the novel that described the remnants of my past in a modern era. There wasn't a moment in my new existence that I regretted being taken from it. When Kristian noticed I had stopped listening to the words and only stared at the movement of his mouth his brow quirked up as he asked, "What?"

There was only one answer I could give to that.

"You."

…

…

…

**A/N: As I warned last week the expectations of the follow up of Sookie's statement were not to be taken too literal. So I hoped you enjoyed this little insight into Pam and her maker's complex relationship. We'll be back with Sookie and Eric next week and you will see what she really meant to say then with her proposition.**

***Hollinghurst: Alan Hollinghurst's_ The Line of Beauty_ is probably one of the most beautiful novels I have read in a long while, I sort of missed the initial hype and probably would have been too young to appreciate it at the time but it's simply one of those books that's a joy to read despite the fact that little happens on the pages. It felt suitable in this scene and feel free to further ignore my evangelism on literature.**

****I am now also on Facebook so I can keep up with the Fanfiction Minions postings. I only post the notifications of update links there so if you prefer that over the fanfiction notifications the direct link is in my profile.****


	12. Chapter 12 - Tease

"_Don't let pride be your downfall," I countered and I saw a modicum of acceptance travel across her eyes. She nodded her head as I admitted, "I let it be mine tonight and there was no prize in my conduct. I'm sorry."_

"_Are you sorry for what you did or that I was a witness to it?" she asked my chest. It was the first time I ever sensed true insecurity in her about me. My actions had shattered an image she had built up from the intricacies of my human mind. My fingers nudged her chin towards mine again. I wanted to look her in the eyes when I answered._

"_Both," I said truthfully and conveyed it through every pore of my body. "Officially I owe him no apology but he will have one. I don't approve of his behaviour around you but my reaction was excessive."_

_She nodded with satisfaction before she answered, "That's all I needed to hear."_

_Our heads turned collectively to the ceiling of the night sky once more. After the silence lasted longer than I cared for I asked, "What are you thinking?"_

"_I think we should have sex." _

Chapter 12 - Tease

**SPOV **

"I think we should have sex."

"Excuse me," he stammered out in response. There had been many who had propositioned me for sex over the years, spoken and more often unspoken, but never in such a cool business like tone as I had just done. It had always made me feel dirty regardless, as if I were a disposable object. I would have been disgusted by the tactless proposal of it were our roles reversed, Eric seemed merely puzzled, vaguely plagued with hope. My eyes, however, were overflowing with mirth and when he finally recognised it as such he grinned in accordance to our joint play of collusion.

"So I can deny it to you the next time you act like that," I explained with a taunting smirk.

"You've been denying me for weeks now," he returned not to be outdone. "I've gone this long, I can resist your thrall any night my little temptress. You really think that's going to keep me in line?"

"A girl can hope," I teased as I moved to straddle his waist trading the view of the night sky for the sparkling mischief in the clear blues of his eyes. "Besides, I own you Eric Northman."

"Really?" he replied with a satisfied smirk. "How do you suppose that?"

"Mmmm," I mused out fluttering my lashes as I hung my lips dangerously close to his. "For starters I own everything that once had your name attached to it."

"True," he conceded before craning his neck up to steal a kiss pulling me closer as my treacherous body melted into him with his exploratory hands roaming the expanse of my back threatening to reach my hovering behind to grind on down. When I became susceptible to getting lost in the sensation he mercilessly pulled away, only proving he knew how to play this game far better than I ever hoped I could. Gasping for air and the desire to return to those lips had only thrown me off my intent momentarily. Our scores were yet to settle but frustratingly he was already far ahead of me. "But that's things. Not me," Eric pointed out quite accurately.

"Well then I seriously overpaid," I returned as I trailed the tip of my nose along the arch of his neck. The heat of my breath sent visible shivers down his spine to join the tremors of the chuckles he was desperately trying to contain. When my tongue traced the movement in accordance I relished in recognising the weakening of his resolve.

"I hope you kept the receipt then," he retorted feebly, his earlier arrogance was waning as my caresses continued to test his resistance. I bluntly bit and suckled at the lobe of his ear and I knew I had him at a disadvantage then, as the unmistakeable sound of fangs rushing out with a snick became audible. A delicious grumble reverberated through us both as it came deeply from his chest.

"I don't think that's necessary," I whispered into the shell of his ear as we both tried to fight the mutual seduction of the other, now unsure what our endgame was becoming. It was my turn to shiver into him as he stroked the length of my thighs with his fingertips pushing the hem of my dress further up to my waist. "Didn't you once tell me you would answer 'yes' to any of my requests," I countered.

His hands stilled as he considered his impending defeat. Treachery plagued his features as he remembered how I had pointed out that was the exact problem that would pull us apart. There was a hint of disgust with the appearance of my triumphant grin. It reminded me of a photograph his sister Lovisa had once shown me of him, when they were children surrounded by an overturned board game. She had told me that he never took loss well and I delighted in knowing I was the cause of it now.

I rested my forehead over his staring intently into those loving eyes now filled with nerves as he sought for his last means of escape. "So," I started with a confidence I rarely possessed with the opposite sex. "Will you be mine?"

"No," he replied defiantly, full of reminiscence of that petulant child his sister had once described to me.

"No?" I questioned as the impending peak of our stalemate was nearing to either the destruction or the devouring of the other. Though it was clear to us both it would be the latter.

"I'm already yours," he countered sporting a grin I was all too happy to slap from his face. His words made me refrain from the itching of my palms that would result in domestic violence. "As you have always been mine."

I wanted to refute his claim but it was a pointless exercise. Others had come and gone in both of our lives and there was no denying we had both stayed true to another despite not knowing a thing, or of a confirmed existence of the other. Ghosts of our pasts had made what lay between us an inevitable. Perhaps it was foolish but even if it was a sinking ship we embarked on it regardless without hesitation.

"Since when?" I asked more out of curiosity, halting the standoff of our play.

"I knew you belonged in my heart the moment I saw you," Eric returned as his fingers ran through my hair. "It was an unworthy place for someone like you to be."

The heat between us melted to a warmth worthy of the best embraces. I pressed my lips to his softly cushioning back with a smile. Those thoughts in his head had bound me to him like no other had and I doubted any other would. It was a silly attempt to even consider denying it.

"Still believe that?"

"I wouldn't be here if I did," Eric answered as a lightness travelled through him that had always been absent when he was merely a man of my past. "How long have I been yours?"

I bit at the corner of my bottom lip as I prepared to confess the root of my own infatuation of him. "The moment your mind told me I was worth more than you could ever hope to afford," I confessed. "But you're truly a richer man now."

"Does that mean I can buy back my freedom?" he teased pulling us both from the severity of our statements.

"Never," I returned vehemently stealing the cheek from his satisfaction with my mouth. The kiss deepened as we were content with our mutual victories, however small they may be. He was mine. I was his. It was simple. It was good.

Our hands sought each other's bodies out for inspection as we came perilously close to making good on the statement that had ignited this conversation. Eric held back before I could, my confusion with the sudden ceasefire was explained when I sensed the now familiar void of Godric approaching.

He arrived beside us quicker than I managed to straighten out my dress or remove the lipstick smudges from Eric's lips. My embarrassed flush to the cheeks only further enhanced the evidence of red that betrayed our actions. Eric's face didn't match mine and when I settled on what it was, apprehension coupled with fear, my switch flipped. Gone was embarrassment and in its place stood defiance towards the weary looking Godric. It didn't escape his notice and he simply gave a minute nod before apologising for his intrusion. It was perfunctory in its gesture and as much as I respected and enjoyed Godric's company I had no interest acting like a child with him. Even if he is old as dirt.

I simply shrugged in response as I steadied myself on my feet again, "Next time knock or something," I informed with a hint of annoyance. "Eric shouldn't be acting as your personal PA system."

My tone was harsher than intended, I had yet to hear Godric's explanation of keeping Eric deliberately in the darkest place his mind could reside but I was far from forgiving now. I simply found it a hard thing to excuse an enduring amnesia. Eric was visibly tense as his maker's face only betrayed the minutest of expressions. I knew him to be amused and not in a condescending way but Eric lacked the resources to read his own maker as well as I did.

I pulled into his side wrapping my arm tightly round his waist, it was only his unease with the situation that allowed it to occur without hesitation. Visually I was claiming him like I had announced moments ago but in fact I was calming him in a display I felt his maker should take notice of. There was no doubt in my mind that Godric was the best maker a vampire could have but I found it deeply tragic that Eric ended up with a vampire who was as frugal with loving affection as he himself had experienced so little of it in his human days.

"You would make a good mother," Godric offered with a small smile. Were I not without a better understanding of the ancient vampire who stood in front of me I would have recoiled at the passive aggressive read into the statement. That I would never be one with the man beside me. Before Eric could spiral down into exactly that thought, judging by the minor tremors running down his spine at our apparent standoff, I answered sweetly, "Thank you Godric."

I had meant it. I took it as the compliment it was intended to be, he was conceding I was the better parent when it came to the emotional side of this existence. I would be the expert when it came to nurturing affection with Eric, who had thankfully calmed down but the tension was yet to be released from his strained muscles despite Godric's encouraging smile.

"Pam has requested you help out with an interrogation," Godric finally informed us both though the appeal was only intended for me.

"Give us a few minutes and we'll join you," I answered gesturing to our dishevelled appearances, to which Eric sheepishly patted down a few stray hairs. It only made me want to run my fingers through it to get it back to its former tousled state. He wore dishevelled remarkably well.

"Very well," Godric returned with a smirk before exiting the room with great haste.

"How do you do that?" Eric asked with amazement when it was just the two of us in the room again.

"Do what?" I returned while wiping away the remnants of my lipstick from his mouth with my thumb. He gave the pad a soft kiss when I mindlessly traced the crease between his lips. I regretted the fact there was no lipstick left on my lips to repeat the process all over again.

"Make him smile," he responded while adjusting the collar of my dress. There was nothing to be done for the wrinkles at my waistline, where the dress had bunched up, but we were hardly attending a fancy dinner anymore.

"He smiles all the time," I returned with my brows furrowed. "I'm not the cause of it."

"I can count the number of times he's smiled on one hand Sookie," Eric said with a hint of melancholy. "That includes the small smile he carried away just now."

"He hasn't had the responsibility for caring for anyone but himself for over two thousand years Eric and he never received much of it himself," I replied remembering vague discussions we had in the past. "I think he's scared you'll run away with his affection. Did he ever tell you why he fostered Pam?"

"No," he answered softly and I desperately wanted to kiss away the hurt that resided in his eyes. Priorities, however, dictated otherwise. "I didn't even know my maker had taken her under his wing."

It shouldn't have surprised me but it broke my heart nonetheless. Apparently Godric had modelled his relationship to Eric in the exact counter of Kristian and Pam's. It was smart, rational and fair but it lacked affection where theirs seemed centred exclusively on that. What worried me most was that perhaps in that emotional starvation what Eric sought with me would always leave him seeking. I knew from Pam's complex relationship to her maker that there was a part of her heart only he could fill, it was simply part of their makeup. The realisation came to me that my exploratory relationship with Eric extended beyond him and I. If I chose to be with him permanently, I couldn't disregard the contingent of vampires whose bloodline had animated his life from death. I was dating Eric but I would be marrying his entire house in the process. Whether I was a fae or not alliances would always be there.

"Ask him," I returned when my inner thoughts finally caught onto Eric's questioning stare. I didn't feel it my place to share the intricacies of Pam's most intimate relationships. What I did know, surely only scratched at the surface of it all anyhow. "This is all as new to him as it is to you. He hasn't figured out quite how to act with you yet."

He nodded in assent but there still seemed to be a lingering of insecurity that didn't suit him. It had never been there before when I was still able to read his mind. Of all the riches he had lost in his process of turning this is the one that would leave him truly destitute if it continued to exist. It was also the only thing I would not be able to return to him. Eric remained pensive as his hand held on to mine slightly firmer than I had become accustomed to as we sought out Godric by the main entrance to Pam's home.

There was little spoken between them overtly but I knew something was happening between them in their bond. The conversation was over before I could interject anything and I found myself wondering how being bound to Eric by blood would impact my independence. I had relinquished my hope for normalcy a long time ago, simplicity had left earlier that evening with my newfound status. The thought of losing myself in the process of connecting to another was, however, a daunting task that would take time to accept.

We followed Godric to a more modern looking utilitarian structure on the outskirts of Pam's estate. I had never ventured this far, Pam's despise of the outdoors had always kept us firmly indoors despite the beauty of the grounds. A collection of suspended voids resided inside and one human one. A woman named Staci and from the thoughts of her mind it seemed she'd be the type to dot that 'i' with a heart.

"What do you think Staci can tell you?" I asked of Godric who smiled appreciatively at my telepathically procured knowledge. Instead of taking in his smile I focused on the reaction it evoked in Eric. He wasn't lying that it was a rare sight to him as shock marred his face. As much as I hated it when people told me to smile more I was determined to do exactly that whenever the two of them were in my presence.

I recognised Shahbaz as he let us into the building, the chambers that housed the voids that I had recognised earlier were firmly closed. I didn't know what to expect from Pam's private stable of holding cells but it looked decidedly nicer and high tech than any human jail. One overnight visit was thankfully enough for Jason to clean up his act, otherwise I would never have known the poor conditions of such.

Shahbaz couldn't hide the curiosity of my presence in a building that I was sure hardly ever saw the presence of any being with a beating heart. Certainly not in my capacity. I knew the Guard of Anûšiya suspected there was more to me considering the respect Pam had always bestowed on me but it was clear that he had yet to pinpoint exactly what.

My stomach churned at the sight at the end of the hall. Human jail was suddenly looking decidedly more preferable as we passed a previously pristine white space splattered in remnants of oxidized blood. In the middle of the room sat a completely undisturbed Sophie Anne Leclerq filing away at her nails looking like the exact colour scheme of the room with her milky skin set in a pristinely white flapper dress untouched by a single speck of blood, the only sign of red being the long locks of her hair and her carefully painted lips. She seemed to be content with listening to the vague soundtrack of torturous screams emanating from the room next to her as orchestrated by her child.

We passed an identical looking chamber, blood included, before we reached the room holding Staci. Unlike the other interrogation cells this one could pass for a staff room with the small kitchenette and a warm decor. Staci was seated unaware as we observed her through the two-way mirror. I recognised the multiple sets of glamour fogging her brain as she was held in the trappings of her own mind.

"She doesn't look like a pet," Shahbaz informed us. It was an observation that would only be of interest to a vampire. He was accurate in the sense that Staci looked healthy, lacking the usual fang marks marring her youthful skin. She looked like a lost sorority girl, and though there were plenty of those hanging of the arms of a vampire in a period of experimentation, yet she seemed too wholesome to be that explorative with herself. "The girl has been with their nest for months but they do not feed from her."

"Are they feeding her?" I asked wondering if that would explain her healthy buoyant looks. I thought the simplicity of her mind was just her natural state but it could well be induced by a steady feeding of influencing vampire blood. In that sense it wasn't unlike any man-made drug.

"Not that we can discern. Northman," Shahbaz commanded, "your nose is more sensitive than any on the premises. What do you say?"

"She has been fed once," Eric returned with a focus and skill I was unware he possessed. "Long ago, it smells of your neighbour. She takes herbal supplements, other than that her scent carries nothing unusual."

"Is she…" I trailed off unsure how to ask such a delicate question that would only be viewed as such by me, "untouched?" By all appearances that was exactly what she looked like. Vampires, especially the Impurus, had a taste for the innocent but it was unusual to keep it around in pristine condition.

The three vampires in the room answered a resolute yes as if it wasn't a completely obscure piece of knowledge they possessed about every woman they ever interacted with. "She's not in her mind," I observed. "She's reliving months of courtship with Bill Compton. It doesn't feel like glamour."

I didn't bother asking what their attempts at glamour had procured from her mind, I wouldn't be standing there if that had been a fruitless exercise.

"She is of sound mind?" Godric asked while Shahbaz continued to eye me curiously putting together the pieces of information he knew about me. I nodded that she was in return.

"I'm a telepath," I informed off handed in Shahbaz's direction to confirm his suspicions. I assumed he was trustworthy and had enough on his mind already. There was a hint of surprise hidden in his features but it was mostly an acceptance of a proven theory.

"Will you be able to release her from it?" Godric queried as I continued to assess the strange workings of her mind.

"I'm not sure," I confessed. I had never come across a mental signature quite like it. I had removed it on some of Pam's staff before, unfortunately it was always the result of a bad cover up. Pam offered them a choice whether they wanted to remain unaware or not. There had only ever been one brave soul that chose to retain the memories of her trauma.

"Glamour always attaches itself to the subconscious so it remains unnoticed," I explained. "This is woven into her consciousness, like a rhizomatic root structure, there is no other choice for her but to believe it. But it's so obviously there."

"Maybe she wants to believe it," Shahbaz offered as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Despite his obvious qualities as a commanding soldier it became obvious to me he was the type of man that dealt unwell with uncertainties and the unknown. He lived by the knowledge of facts. "How do you wish to proceed?"

"I will need to talk to her, to understand what has taken root in her mind," I returned after some contemplation. "But she's frightened, I need to gain her trust. I don't think I'll be able to coax it out of her otherwise. Perhaps showing her Bill Compton is safe and sound will allow her to open up to me."

"That won't be possible," Shahbaz said shortly. I noticed Eric's irritation at the mere mention of the name and before it could fester any further I reached out for his hand softening his face to me in the process. It was a strange realisation that in Staci's mind it was the same look Bill gazed onto her adoringly. Thankfully I knew for certain that what Eric held for me was true. It was a look he had carried for me from the moment we met before either of us had brushed up against anything supernatural.

"Come with me," I requested of Eric as we collectively ignored the rest of the room in the tender looks we held for each other. "Pretend we just had mad passionate romantic sex."

"Do we really have to pretend?" he leered with that annoying quirked brow that could only reduce me to giggles. Instead of admonishing the crass nature of his statement I forced his gaze to Godric.

"Look," I said encouragingly. "You made Godric smile."

**A/N: Next week we'll be hearing from Eric again as we start to investigate Bill... because obviously the shithead is involved somehow...**


	13. Chapter 13 - Later

"_I will need to talk to her, to understand what has taken root in her mind," I returned after some contemplation. "But she's frightened, I need to gain her trust. I don't think I'll be able to coax it out of her otherwise. Perhaps showing her Bill Compton is safe and sound will allow her to open up to me."_

"_That won't be possible," Shahbaz said shortly. I noticed Eric's irritation and before it could fester any further I reached out for his hand softening his face to me in the process. It was a strange realisation that in Staci's mind it was the same look Bill gazed onto her adoringly. Thankfully I knew for certain that what he held for me was true. It was a look he had carried for me from the moment we met before either of us had brushed up against anything supernatural. _

"_Come with me," I requested of Eric as we collectively ignored the rest of the room in the tender looks we held for each other. "Pretend we just had mad passionate romantic sex."_

"_Do we really have to pretend?" he leered with that annoying quirked brow that could only reduce me to giggles. Instead of admonishing the crass nature of his statement I forced his gaze to Godric._

"_Look," I said encouragingly. "You made Godric smile."_

**Chapter 13 – Later**

_EPOV_

It was a real smile and I felt it through the bond that he truly was amused by my antics. Godric didn't let me into his side often, usually only when he was proud or approving. The rare few times I had disappointed or shamed him had been the other times. Nothing could quite bring me to my knees like the anguish I would feel when that came resonating from my maker.

Despite it being such a rare occurrence to feel that much of any depth from my maker my mind lay elsewhere. The possibility of a bond with Sookie was a possibility I had never dared think would be a possibility for us. They were rare, like the sharing of our blood determined by the Grandest Sire of our house. Since Aelia had mentioned it, or rather stealthily proposed the possibility, it had become impossible not to think of anything else when I was in her presence.

The only bond I had ever shared was with my maker. Godric mostly closed it from his side and I knew he blocked my presence inside him most of the time. It had taken a long time to accept the indifference in him towards me was borne out of my own overflowing state of confusion that was the amnesia. Somewhere along the way it had become our state of normalcy. It was a cold place to be and that shared experience made the smile gracing his face more rewarding than anything.

"Come along," Sookie chided when I apparently lingered too long and had Shahbaz chuckling too. I was the laughing stock amongst the Sanguine but I couldn't care less, the two most important people to me were the cause of it and not even mad passionate romantic sex with Sookie could possibly feel this good. Somehow her tiny form was dragging my mindless self along as we stumbled into the room where Staci resided. When finally coming to my senses I remembered Sookie's instructions of our pretend post coital bliss and refused to let the opportunity pass to grab her ass.

"ERIC!" she shrieked while slapping away my hand. I'm sure the not so innocent look on my face only helped her inability to truly be mad about it as her teeth desperately tried to contain a grin.

"We just had passionate primal sex together woman," I taunted back. I realised by Sookie's shocked expression that turned from amused to pissed, with my incorrect choice of words to describe our supposed coupling, that there was something extremely arousing in riling her up. By the scent of her I wasn't the only one that was experiencing just that. My grin was unstoppable with that realisation. "No need to be coy. Your ass is mine."

"Sorry," she gestured over to the innocent looking girl feigning much of that herself. "He's a horndog."

I couldn't help but growl a little and let out a low volume bark as I nibbled at her earlobe. Apparently I was overdoing it because Sookie was melting into a puddle and was only pulled from her distraction when young Staci was tittering softly at our antics.

"Off," she whispered with a hint of threat that let me know we were no longer playing and had her firmly in charge again. However, her act was far from finished as she turned around and sweetly kissed me. "Honey, why don't you go find me that dinner that you promised me? Make sure they bring her something too," she cooed gesturing behind her. She batted her eyelashes like the porcelain princess she never was and I prayed to god never would be as she pouted a little and arched her neck at me enticingly, "Pretty please? You know if I eat you might get a little snack too."

I blinked unnecessarily with her chosen words, a tainted reminder of my past. Reminiscent words from women that I once entertained where everything came at a cost. Emotional or financial, often both. When you have all the money in the world you discover there is very little that isn't up for sale and find everything desires to be bought. I had to hold her soft cheeks between the palms of my hands and look deeply into her eyes to affirm what was real between us, that this personality wasn't the one I was chasing.

She smiled a secret smile that I knew was only meant for me. The fire in her eyes told me she was still pissed at my ploy of grab ass. It reassured me all the more that this was the Sookie that meant everything to me.

"Of course my sweet," I returned like the indulgent sugar daddy I was apparently supposed to portray. Kissing her chastely on the lip she giggled like a thirteen year old girl and I had to seriously restrain myself from keeping the fine cuisine of earlier in the night inside of me. I knew I should have paid more attention to the mischief because as soon as I turned round a rather forceful slap smacked across my own ass. Dumbfounded my head turned to look at my aggressor who stood fluttering her lashes with a triumphant grin that celebrated her payback. Little did she know that she was only upping the ante.

"Bye bye, big daddy," she said with a saccharine sweetness and a limp wave that had me reaching for my toothbrush with the acid reflux that threatened to surface. I mumbled something incoherent, to the sound of a greeting before re-joining my maker and Shahbaz behind the two way mirror. Either they were still laughing at me from my point of departure or our little show had brought it to greater hilarity. I feared it was both and I was seriously reconsidering how much I enjoyed my maker laughing at me.

"Sorry about that," she said congenially in Staci's direction. I finally recognised the role she was portraying, it was who Sookie pretended to be at the diner she once worked at. She held back the performance with me, I'm unsure why perhaps because I never responded well to the over friendly nature of American establishments. In the own deluded privacy of my mind I liked to entertain that Sookie didn't feel the need to act the part around me. I knew this was how Sookie raked in the biggest tips and it seemed to work for tip offs too, as the girl was immediately drawn to Sookie's congenial presence.

"No worries," she said shyly. With an encouraging smile from Sookie that I knew always got her customers to instantly decide what they wanted, Staci gushed, "You two are so cute together."

"Thanks," Sookie threw over her shoulder as she was rummaging through the refrigerator like she came there on a daily basis. She pulled out two soft drinks setting them down on the counter before finding two tall glasses. "First time here?" she asked placing the beverages in front of them. With an affirmative nod 'bubbly' Sookie continued petting her arm, "Thought so. Don't worry it's just secret vampire business, he'll be back soon enough."

"Have you known each other long?" Staci asked who was quickly losing the nerves that had held her glued to her seat earlier.

"Yup," Sookie replied making a popping noise of the 'p'. "Over ten years now."

"Wow," Staci gushed before ascertaining Sookie with more scrutiny. "You don't look…"

"Old," Sookie smiled back tucking a loose strand of hair behind the girl's ear. The touchy feely Sookie was a new sight to me. From memory I knew she usually stiffened when a customer touched her, innocently or not. The trigger to increased telepathy explained it to me now, when it had left me merely wondering then. My touch was the only one she never had recoiled from, it was a high point of pride to me. "Vampire blood keeps us looking young, sweetie. Doesn't your vamp share his blood with you?"

The girl blushed deeper than I had ever seen, the thoughts in her head must have been especially graphic since Sookie coloured suit. "From the moment we met," she whispered so only she and Sookie would be able to hear if there had been any other human in the room. Sookie mouthed an impressed 'wow' with wide eyes as if Staci were the queen bee of the gold-digging fangbangers.

"Oh, it wasn't like that all," she quickly corrected Sookie's supposed assumptions of her prowess. "He hit me with his car, but it was totally my fault. It was sooooo dark and I wasn't paying attention," Staci continued. Dark my ass there's little that doesn't pass our scrutiny at night. "He gave me his blood to heal me and then well..."

"You two fell in love," Sookie piped in as if her heart was about to burst with the discovery of it.

"Yes," Staci said gleefully as her head bobbed up and down like one of those novelty items on a dashboard. It was frightening to see Sookie mirror the action so expertly.

"So you and…" Sookie asked knowing full well to expect the receiving answer of Bill. Though Staci referred to him as William as if it were the most unique name in the world. The lies that were planted in her mind quickly came tumbling out with Sookie's encouragement.

"What is she doing?" Shahbaz asked curiously. I didn't appreciate his interest in Sookie earlier but he seemed respectful enough of our connection now. It was merely fascination with her skill that had him intrigued with Sookie.

"Sookie is following the paths of the girl's thoughts. I think the true memories reside beside it," Godric explained as he seemed to know the most of the technicalities of Sookie's ability. "Eric," he said pulling my attention back to the scene in the room where Sookie appeared to be writing my name with her fingers on the surface of the table and seeking eye contact with the mirror. I grabbed the two lunch bags that had been procured in my absence and was knocking on the door in an instant.

"Sugar tits," I smiled at her hoping to ruin her appetite as she had mine. When she looked equally ready to hurl and pissed I knew I had hit the right trigger. I held the two lunch bags tauntingly high out of reach, making good use of my considerable height. "I come bearing gifts."

"Give it to me then, _daddy,"_ she whined in what some men would find attractive but made me swear I still possessed bile in this transformed body. To her credit, Sookie was giving me an expert training on how to hold my face like a Sanguine as I swallowed the foul taste in my mouth.

"You eat, I eat sweet cheeks," I threw back at her reminding her of the proposed deal while pulling her body into mine holding her in place by her generous ass. I was happily flaccid with her infantile act but the irked set of her eyes had us both surprised when something started straining in my pants against her soft stomach.

"Later," she said sweetly through the worst fake smile I had ever seen. Thankfully her back was to Staci so it was purely for my benefit. I had to gulp a little knowing there definitely wasn't going to be a later. She beckoned the set of lunch bags down and nudged my ears to her lips to whisper what appeared to Staci to be a seductive promise, "Pick me up in five and have a pen and paper ready."

"I will gladly eat out that sweet pussy of yours," I growled out in an overtly audible response to the room. It was delightful to beat her at her own game as Sookie surpassed Staci in the most embarrassed blush ever sported championship. She was pissed and turned on at the same time, that only seemed to piss her off even more and that had _me_ following suit in the other direction. I kissed her scowl from her face as she tried to disentangle herself from me and my forceful erection and breathed out a low and threatening, "Later."

Leaving her in a state of fluster I moved from the room with my back to the door fearful of her immediate retaliation. Consciously I knew she would be conjuring up a punishment for my actions which would be far worse than a slap on the ass or a humiliation in front of my maker. I feared her threat of withholding sex from me was one that stood to stand for an extended period. By the time I had returned to my observing post behind the mirror Sookie had already transformed into her perky self, making apologies for my behaviour.

"You are walking a thin line my child," Godric noted with a slight chuckle from my side. The amusement was barely contained as it seemed to overflow into our faint bond.

"She started it," I huffed back portraying the petulant child bride Sookie pretended to be. We shared our amusement more openly through the bond from that moment on as I carefully continued to observe the clock.

"She is better for you," Godric said with withheld words. Nearly ten years had taught me that much with him. The sentences he spoke directly always held more meaning than what was being said. It clicked with me now why Sookie had not been upset with his statement of her being a good mother. At the time I had taken it as an insult that she would never be one with me. A verbal retaliation for her apparent disrespect. I knew all too well it was not an uncommon occurrence to be at the receiving end of that.

"No," I returned my eyes still fixed to the clock, monitoring every second that ticked away to five full minutes. "She is a good partner. You are the best maker."

With thirty-eight seconds left on the clock I felt the full force of his quiet appreciation and pride through the bond we shared. In that I understood what it would mean to share that as equals as Aelia had requested of Sookie and I. It wouldn't be a state of subservience as it had always been with my maker. No matter how much possible physical control I could have over Sookie, she had just demonstrated she had every cunning at her disposal to undermine me. Equality had become a foreign concept to me since my turning but with Sookie that could be had again. The warm feeling that thought brought me nearly had me missing the agreed time to release Sookie from the room.

With my formidable speed I made it back to the door with a second to spare. "Ready to go, little lady?" I asked with a quirk in my brows. I had yet to see Sookie this pissed, I had witnessed it on that lovely voicemail message she had left Pam once, where she had accused us both of manipulating the former occupants of her childhood home. My survival instinct hinted I should be more scared than I was. However, _I _knew that as the true lady Sookie was, she would always come back with the best apologies when she calmed down. She was blaming me now for her anger but come tomorrow Sookie would realise she was pissed because she had responded to it. Perhaps I would get something to eat after all.

Refusing to address me any further apart from a scowl, a 'sweet' compliance was uttered before she bid her goodbye to Staci assuring her William would be back soon enough or someone would drive her home. They promised to keep in touch when they exchanged phone numbers but Sookie seemed anxious to get out as soon as possible so I refrained from heating up her fire any further for my own enjoyment.

She was icily silent as we walked back the short distance to the room next door. Sookie sat down at the desk and scribbled away at a furious pace on the legal pad that was placed there. She shushed me when I attempted to ask if she were in need of anything else when I sat beside her. I refrained from looking at Shahbaz and my maker from that point on. I didn't need to witness their silent laughter to know it was there.

Her notes appeared to be a maze of connected thoughts as she finally finished writing up the last of her gathered intelligence. I was surprised to find her grabbing for my hand as she closed her eyes and seemed to decompress. "I just need a bit of silence right now," she said with a hint of exhaustion. Three sets of eyes peered curiously at her as she seemed to revel in the silence. My thumb drew small circles over the back of her hand and with a small moan she sank against my body which had me hoping my forgiveness was closer than my anticipated scheduling of it.

When I was looking decidedly smug she unfortunately pulled away with great distance killing my earlier hopes of being pardoned. "I counted six separate glamours aside from the one I couldn't identify," Sookie explained directing it mostly to Shahbaz. "How many of them are yours?"

"Two," he said in acknowledgement.

"Can you release them?"

"Yes," he answered. "They were placed out of precaution."

"Good," Sookie returned. "I think you should turn her."

The three stares looked at her with simultaneous questioning blinks. "_Turn_ her for counter intelligence," she clarified understanding the severity of the word had a different weight to it to a room full of vampires than her. "Look," Sookie said gesturing to her notes. All three of us looked at her hasty penmanship to read the different encrypted messages that were being run back and forth. "Staci has been running messages between Bill Compton and a Sanguine I don't know. In her mind they are all wildly romantic dates with Bill and she works as a day person for the other three detainees."

"This Sanguine has been imposing this deception of her mind?" Godric enquied with a look that told me he was searching the depths of his memory to ascertain a Sanguine who could possess this capable gift.

"You are both aware of my other supernatural state by now?" Sookie asked addressing the other two vampires in the room. Their confirming nod had me thinking that information seemed to be shared with ease around here with everyone but me. "I think it's someone like me."

We were all silenced by that piece of information as we contemplated the consequences this would hold for us all. "What is your proposal?" Shahbaz finally asked with an increased respect of her esteem.

"Bill Compton is your obvious leak," she said after some thought. "He'll jump at the opportunity for a position at the palace. We can summon him without suspicion, we feed him false information to take back to the other Sanguine. Meanwhile I read out Staci's brain where I appear to be merely an innocent friend."

"To the outside world it'll appear Pam is appeasing to the threat of the terrorists in offering Mr Compton a job," my maker objected. "She will come across weak."

"To the unthinking yes," Sookie responded. "To most it'll come across as an appeasing gesture with little merit."

"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak*," I reminded my maker of the teachings of Sun Tzu he had taught me so diligently.

"I shall put in the proposal with our queen," Shahbaz said giving it his seal of approval.

"Not necessary," the rich voice of Aelia sang from the other doorway to the room. "Shahbaz, make sure Mr Compton is healed and fully apologised to before sending him home with the human. Tell him to come back to court tomorrow where the Queen will personally see to him and the human's reparations."

After a ceremonial nod Shahbaz departed and the faint sounds of torture in the background seized. Aelia sat in his vacated seat looking over the sentences Sookie had put down with a calculated scrutiny. "You are quite the asset young Sookie," she smiled appreciatively.

"Sookie has learned quite a lot from an insight into the human world's finest procurers of intelligence," Godric deduced astutely remembering Sookie's association with the different intelligence agencies of the world. "There is much to learn from them."

"Yes," Aelia agreed. "My instincts would have been to end the Impurus and his pet while we waited for the next to take his place. This works in our favour in more ways than one."

I couldn't help but beam with pride at _my_ Sookie, because that is what she had agreed to be earlier in the night despite the weight of a bond that was requested from her. "Thank you," Sookie said softly out of courtesy, it had become quite apparent to me she did not take to accolades well. Her deeds had always been silent ones and with no one else to stand witness to that, little appreciation was given in return. I grabbed her hand and kissed it softly to express my gratitude and a small smile appeared from her lips and her distaste with my earlier actions was momentarily erased from her burning eyes.

"So how about our _later_," I leered because I didn't think I would be able to dig my grave any deeper than I already had that night.

"Remember our earlier conversation," she said pointedly with narrowed eyes as she softly petted my forearm before dropping it unceremoniously. "All I gotta say is you better start getting real friendly with that hand of yours."

_Remember_ when _I_ was so happy to see everyone laugh... not so much anymore.

**We'll pick up next time with Godric's point of view. ****Remember to check all the lovely entries in the second edition of Sephrenia's Writing Challenge where this story was birthed from... sephwritchallenge. wordpress. com**


	14. Chapter 14 - Best

**A/N: A small reminder since it was many chapters ago that it was last mentioned as we haven't heard from Godric in a while: Godric was an accidental turning. He was a slave that was simply a lesson in turning where they fully expected him to be an Impurus that would be staked upon rising as the Sanguine traditionally sourced their prospective children from aristocratic families. Since his maker was so young they were raised as siblings. This chapter delves into those beginnings a bit and gives some motivation to his difficulty to express any warmth towards Eric and where his political stance in the Impurus/Sanguine relations comes from.**

"_Sookie has learned quite a lot from an insight into the human world's finest procurers of intelligence," Godric deduced astutely remembering Sookie's association with the different intelligence agencies of the world. "There is much to learn from them."_

"_Yes," Aelia agreed. "My instincts would have been to end the Impurus and his pet while we waited for the next to take his place. This works in our favour in more ways than one."_

_I couldn't help but beam with pride at my Sookie, because that is what she had agreed to be earlier in the night despite the weight of a bond that was requested from her. "Thank you," Sookie said softly out of courtesy, it had become quite apparent to me she did not take to accolades well. Her deeds had always been silent ones and with no one else to stand witness to that, little appreciation was given in return. I grabbed her hand and kissed it softly to express my gratitude and a small smile appeared from her lips and her distaste with my earlier actions was momentarily erased from her burning eyes. _

"_So how about our later," I leered because I didn't think I would be able to dig my grave any deeper than I already had that night._

"_Remember our earlier conversation," she said pointedly with narrowed eyes as she softly petted my forearm before dropping it unceremoniously. "All I gotta say is you better start getting real friendly with that hand of yours." _

_Remember when I was so happy to see everyone laugh... not so much anymore. _

**Chapter 14 – Best **

_GPOV_

Sookietruly was a gift to my child. She brought out a side to Eric I never knew existed and that isn't the horndog she was speaking of. I had experienced the sensations of that residing in him in the early days often enough, it disappeared as soon as his memories refocused on Sookie. Apparently she was now responsible for the resurrection of that particular personality trait. Fortunately I didn't seem to mind its presence as much as I had in the past.

Perhaps it was my downtrodden moods that lingered inside Eric that had lightened in Sookie's care. I remember she did much the same for me in the few moments of interaction we ever shared. I had always disregarded Eric's romantic notions, his flowery words, that there was a light that resided inside her. I couldn't deny it much anymore as I stood witness to it. It had nothing to do with the fae spark that sat there happily beside it. There was something that burned brightly almost as blindingly as the ire in her eyes now.

It was probably an accurate assessment to assume that the 'horndog' would be residing in the doghouse for a while. Little did Eric know that the tempers of the fae are legendary and a grudge is held excessively long. As in centuries long. Due to the late hour there was little of that resistance present and upon taking notice of Sookie's exhaustion I encouraged Eric to take her home. Leaving it to him where he takes his day rest, or rather to Sookie in this instance.

"Their passion is still so young and untamed," Aelia regarded with a wistful smile once they departed our company. "Don't you miss it?"

"We are no longer young," I returned to my Grandest Sire who was my senior by a good few millennia. She smirked knowingly at my acknowledging of the untamed. We both knew better, Sanguine or Impurus, a vampire would never be tame. Though Sookie seemed to be quite the lion tamer judging by her performance with Eric tonight.

"They are good together," she observed while simultaneously raking her eyes over Sookie's intricate script.

"I sense there is more to your statement than that," I returned testing the waters of how concerned I should be. She had seemed friendly and familiar with Sookie and though that should have concerned me it had not so far. Perhaps because Sookie responded equally warm in return to Aelia and I trusted her judgement of character.

"I forget in your absence that you are the only one that speaks as well as I," she retorted with an approving smile.

"You were a good tutor," I conceded in return.

"Not all were as apt pupils as you," Aelia complimented sincerely. She set the sheets of paper aside, now firmly committed to her memory. It was a trait that ran strong in all the females of our line, it was Pamela's most strongly pronounced gift. It made her an excellent administrator, which was what the monarchs concerned themselves with mostly. "You still won't consider a more political role?"

"Times are too turbulent," I offered in excuse. I had one for her every time she asked, they were all justifiable objections but they were never the true reason. We both knew I didn't aspire to such high stations even though I had the acumen for it.

Two thousand years and still I could not reconcile the inequality that our changed DNA forced us to. Frankly we held humans in higher regard than the Impurus. Everything around us changed bar that, our family motto even taunted us with it. _Animum debes mutare, non caelum_ [You must change your disposition, not your sky]. A change of scenery would not change the root of your problems, only through progression do we survive. We were known for our adaptation with time and sense of civic duty, a Sanguine of the house of Aurelie was yet to leave a post in disgrace. Problems were faced head on, and in less prestigious positions many Aurelies like me had acted as mediators among the different houses. However, Aelia simply refused to change her position on this specific subject along with the other oldest and strongest houses of Sanguine.

"You must consider your childe and his intended too," she supplemented, aiding me in the lie we created together. I simply nodded in agreement as we watched a restored Mr Compton pick up his pet and depart. The girl seemed extremely happy in her deception despite his apparent apathy for her. They were not all decent, the Impurus, but neither were all the Sanguine. Compton's delight with coming out relatively unscathed was clearly legible on his face. Pam had held him on instinct of his close proximity to the scene of the crime. I was proud to see she had relied on that instinct as strongly as I had taught her so long ago. It had paid off well tonight.

"What do you remember of the fae?" I asked concerned with the new threat to our reigns.

"Much," she answered frugally which meant it would take _much_ to pull it from her. A very human sigh escaped from my lips which only caused her to laugh at me. I could not remember a night where there had been so much of that. It should not have surprised me, during times of crisis one either laughed or cried, often a combination of both.

"Two hours till sundown Aelia," I said shaking my head. "And you answer with _much_."

"There is _much_ to tell of the fae," she countered slightly piqued, though it was obviously for dramatic effect. We knew each other's tells far too well through the many ages between us. "Did Lucius not instruct you thoroughly?" Aelia taunted.

"You know my Grandsire had little concern with the past."

"Yes," she returned with a slight irritation. "I believe that is what killed him in the end."

"Perhaps," I responded not fully in agreement with her assessment of her favoured grandchild's sudden death. It was, however, a discussion I had stopped having with Aelia over centuries ago, when we had both agreed to disagree. "I know much of the fae but not about them."

"Our magic was stronger alongside theirs," Aelia said with a hint of melancholy as she gazed longingly at her impeccably manicured hands. "We could be out in the sun with no repercussions. The powers were stronger inside of us. We had it all; the sun, the moon and an eternity of time."

"Our kind killed them, were we not aware of their influence?" I asked to which her sullen face immediately turned to one of silent fury. I knew she would never harm me as a beloved great-grandchild, however, without that knowledge I would have sincerely feared her capability at wrath.

"The Impurus killed them," she sneered in correction. "Weakening us and themselves even further." I wondered how selective her memory was of these events, just like her interpretation of my Grandmaker's death. I did not know if this was her source of distaste towards the Impurus or if that existed within her long before that, the vitriol was palpable in the air nonetheless.

"Yet some have managed to survive in human blood lines," I observed of Sookie and the possible unidentified mind warper that brought further threat to our reigns.

"None were supposed to be left behind when they sealed the portals to Faerum."

"I was told they were extinct," I said with a recognisable surprise that I did not bother to hide, until now I had merely assumed Sookie was a remnant of a forgotten species.

"Lucius truly was negligent in this department," she noted admonishingly like he were a truant child. Incidentally she always encouraged and enjoyed the unapologetic behaviour that was his continued mischief well into old age. It was not unlike the behaviour Sookie had elicited from Eric in their pretence earlier this night. Just like Eric it landed Lucius in continued trouble with the strong minded women like Aelia in his life. "You are right, two hours will not inform you of what you will need to know. The necessary tomes will be in your room by sundown tonight." Her hands flew away at her phone typing instructions to the librarian at Aelia's estate that would surely have the required volumes packed and sent away within minutes of her orders.

I was reminded of the castor's words who had removed the spell from the former inhabitants of Sookie's home. The magic had been unlike any she had encountered before and she sensed an unusual presence of magic in the woods beyond the house. I too sensed 'something' when she had shown it to me but I had no real reference of what I was looking for.

"I think a portal resides on Sookie's lands," I informed Aelia, her distraction with the orders she was sending out at rapid speeds lay quickly forgotten. The phone thudding loudly on the table in the process. Her eyes were wide with attention at my off handed comment. "Would you be able to tell?"

"Only if it is still functioning," she said with a youthful eagerness I had not seen in Aelia since I could still accurately describe myself as such. "You sensed a presence of otherworldly magic?"

"Yes," I admitted. "The witch who removed the spell binding the former tenants to Sookie's home said it was unlike any she had ever come across. I knew as little as she as to the source. Till tonight."

Aelia didn't respond which meant her mind was going into overdrive and rather than let me into the myriad of thoughts that resided there, her elegant fingers typed away more ferociously than before. I got up leaving her to it, a greeting passed my mouth but I knew it would never reach her in this state. Thankfully the room was light tight otherwise I might find her still sitting here tomorrow at sunset looking the same red shade as her dress.

As I passed Sophie Anne, who seemed to be happily filing away at her nails for hours on end, I was reminded it wasn't just with Sookie that Eric was in trouble with. Lucius' wild blood seemed to be settling into Eric in more ways than one. Andre had been disrespectful but had no knowledge of Sookie's elevated status. His eyes should have told him as much but Sophie Anne did not foster much intelligence in her children. Regardless, Eric would have to know those actions could not continue to stand unpunished even if the rules of the Sanguine dictated otherwise.

I contemplated a stroll in the wooded landscape beyond, perhaps revisit the path where mine and Eric's crossed into this shared one. The heavens halted my plans as the rain washed away heavily at the thin material of my linen tunic. I had yet to find a fabric I was more attached to, unfortunately it did not hold up well in the rain so I reluctantly moved indoors.

I circumvented checking in on Pam knowing she and Kristian would be in her private quarters for hours, undisturbed in their mutual rediscovery of each other thinking us all unaware. I checked on Eric through the bond who was already asleep, well ahead of schedule. Either Sookie had been quick with forgiveness or he had chosen to initiate his day rest to avoid feeling the strain of her possible reprimands.

Settling into the sumptuous bed with my newest novel had my thoughts running back to the first time I ever experienced such a luxury. I had shared it with my Maker then, who insisted I sleep beside her after she bathed the dirt from me that had resided there long before Lucius and she had buried me in the ground. I cried profusely in her arms at the comfort I found, it wasn't from relief but rather guilt that someone like me would be afforded this much. In truth the guilt had never disappeared.

Lucius raised us as siblings as we were but a mere year apart. In our private sphere of two, Tulla would care for me like a mother as I adjusted to the customs of a world she was borne into. In return I became the family to her that she so dearly missed. Our trajectories, however, moved in opposite ways. She stood high at the beginning and fell fast while from my humble start I could only move up. Despite all the riches she can afford, she now lives a humble reclusive life. It has been centuries since we spoke, she was never quite the same after Lucius' death. Another thing that we shared but could never seem to express. We only corresponded briefly when Eric was born. Officially I required her permission though there were exemptions with emergency turnings such as Eric's.

Regardless I would never need to ask anything of Tulla, she would say yes to anything I requested. It never entered my mind to assure her I was well after the attack in the sense that Sookie and Eric had done immediately with their loved ones. It would be nearing the late afternoon in her part of the world and I knew she spent that time in the sun every day. No one was there to be frightened by the intense sunburn she would carry afterwards, so she indulged herself with the warming rays, perhaps the only luxury she still afforded herself without qualm.

The telephone rang two times before she answered, "Godric, I have been expecting your call." I doubted her home had been progressing with modern times for her to possess caller ID, for I would be the only one to ever call her.

"For how long?" I couldn't help but ask. The tittering of her response was one I could never help but revel in. Her spirit had always been light to my own darkness and it blossomed effulgently in her simple existence, life away from court suited her best. Were it not for Eric I would be seeking a similar way of life.

"But a few days," she confessed with what I knew was a contained smile on her face. From her human days as high noble woman she had been trained never to express the depths of her emotions on the exterior and even in the privacy of her own company those teachings never faltered. "Something is different with your child."

"Eric," I returned offering the name she wouldn't have issue remembering, but I wanted her to feel the pride I had in him through our faint bond.

"I knew you would make a good father," Tulla encouraged upon receiving the affection I held for him. It reminded me of how I had given Sookie the same compliment that night. The words had left my mouth before my rationale had the thought to intervene, only then did I realise the misinterpretation that could have been had. Sookie proved to be more than I had accredited to her when she understood exactly what I had meant to say. That her expression of affection was an easier one to understand for Eric than mine would ever be.

"I am not always so sure of that myself," I admitted while trailing the spine of the untouched novel that sat in my lap. I had never felt anything from Eric that would make me think as much, his declaration that I was the best Maker to him had momentarily filled me with pride earlier that night. Only later did it sink in he only ever knew one Maker, it was not a position one could compete for like that of a favoured child. I had stolen that from Tulla without desire to with Lucius, the blood simply ran stronger in me and it had dictated our fates since.

"Is it still dark on your side of the world?"

"The sun is not up," I answered though I knew she was asking after a different kind of darkness that had nothing to do with my geographic location.

"That is not what I am asking of you," she chided with a lightness of tone that always pulled more answers from me than a scolding one ever did.

"It is darker than normal," I confessed, "I no longer know where to stand."

"Your heart could be so much bigger if you would just allow it Godric," she pleaded with me. It was an appeal she had requested of me many times but not even a Maker's command could let it come to be. Incapable of answering I merely let out a sigh in response indicating I no longer wished to speak of it.

"What made you call," Tulla asked instead.

"I was remembering the first time I lay in such a comfortable bed after you washed me," I answered honestly. It wasn't often I indulged in reminiscence, the past was mostly indifferent to me with a few high and low points. Lucius had taught us that, there was little we could change once it had occurred there was no use fighting the past. Tulla always took that lesson more aptly than I ever did, she accepted things as they came not as she wished them to be.

"It was a first for me too," she returned warmly as the weightlessness of her spirit danced along the severity of mine in our intertwined bond. "I had never bathed anyone else before, but you were so weary of the servants."

"You were so confident," I whispered in memory, my voice as quiet as it was then, finding it hard to believe her words.

"Confidence is best faked when you have little of it Godric," Tulla offered in explanation and it was a statement I couldn't help but agree with. "I had to be the strong one when you were so ill equipped to handle what this new world offered you."

"You are the best Maker," I said gifting her the words that had momentarily filled me with pride when they had been spoken to me. The only difference was to Tulla there had been a competition between two, she lost to me with Lucius as I became the favoured child, however, with me she would always win. She was silent but the bond spoke enough for the both of us, it wasn't pride that swelled her heart. There was acceptance and adoration that reverberated between us. In a small way my heart surged along with hers.

"What inspired you to say this to me?" she finally asked with a shake to her voice that informed me tears had fallen from her eyes. The words had come from Eric but I knew Sookie was the inspiration that had him sharing them with me.

"The thing that is different with my child," I offered though I had yet to find an accurate answer to what that was exactly. Tulla was never one to demand exacting answers so it would not matter to her what the true source was.

"Then you must carry the gratitude in which this gift is given," she said encouragingly. "It has done so much for you already."

Without all the answers Tulla knew exactly of what she spoke, Sookie was not merely a gifted individual that coaxed unknown depths from Eric. She was a gift to us all. Sookie had walked a similar path to mine coming from rags to riches but she stuck to her core. It was an exceedingly generous one that now included me. Perhaps her unending status as an outsider saw little need to alter herself to the pleasure of others. A quiet strength resided in her that was not unlike Tulla's, born out of insecurity, it was the light that burned so brightly in them both. That attitude had made me see there was more to the vanity that surrounded our gilt existence for the first time.

My heart. It had grown bigger from her mere presence. Somewhere I had allowed for it and that truly was a gift greater than us all.

**A/N: So I hope you appreciated a bit of Godric and the background to the Fae/Sanguine relations, even if it took us away from Eric and Sookie a bit. We will get back to them next time and I promise Sookie won't hold a grudge against Eric for centuries as we delve back into the mystery with Staci and a-hole Bill and whoever it is that hides behind them. The Family tree on the blog is adjusted to show the relations to Lucius and Tulla.**


	15. Chapter 15 - Safety

"_Confidence is best faked when you have little of it Godric," Tulla offered in explanation and it was a statement I couldn't help but agree with. "I had to be the strong one when you were so ill equipped to handle what this new world offered you." _

"_You are the best Maker," I said gifting her the words that had momentarily filled me with pride when they had been spoken to me. The only difference was to Tulla there had been a competition between two, she lost to me with Lucius as I became the favoured child, however, with me she would always win. She was silent but the bond spoke enough for the both of us, it wasn't pride that swelled her heart. There was acceptance and adoration that reverberated between us. In a small way my heart surged along with hers._

"_What inspired you to say this to me?" she finally asked with a shake to her voice that informed me tears had fallen from her eyes. The words had come from Eric but I knew Sookie was the inspiration that had him sharing them with me. _

"_The thing that is different with my child," I offered though I had yet to find an accurate answer to what that was exactly. Tulla was never one to demand exacting answers so it would not matter to her what the true source was._

"_Then you must carry the gratitude in which this gift is given," she said encouragingly. "It has done so much for you already."_

_Without all the answers Tulla knew exactly of what she spoke, Sookie was not merely a gifted individual that coaxed unknown depths from Eric. She was a gift to us all. Sookie had walked a similar path to mine coming from rags to riches but she stuck to her core. It was an exceedingly generous one that now included me. Perhaps her unending status as an outsider saw little need to alter herself to the pleasure of others. A quiet strength resided in her that was not unlike Tulla's, born out of insecurity, it was the light that burned so brightly in them both. That attitude had made me see there was more to the vanity that surrounded our gilt existence for the first time._

_My heart. It had grown bigger from her mere presence. Somewhere I had allowed for it and that truly was a gift greater than us all. _

**Chapter 15 – Safety**

**SPOV**

"Sookie come have breakfast with us," Pam's light tone rang over the line.

It was like old times, before Eric had entered back into my life, except Pam now spoke of an 'us' instead of a 'me'. Eric was still sound asleep beside me, the scoundrel had snuck in beside me during my lethargic state where my treacherous body had been all too happy to be spooned by him when my mind was too feeble to protest much. It was very nice, not that I ever would admit that aloud.

"Your breakfast is surely a different one from mine," I retorted like I always had when she proposed this. Aside from the difference in cuisine the time of day surely gave it a different interpretation to us both.

"There will be pancakes," she sing-songed, knowing they were my personal Achilles heels in the realm of breakfast foods. For once the late night had actually brought our breakfast times closer together and my stomach grumbled happily in anticipation of the best pancakes I knew of since my Gran had passed.

"My stomach is colluding with you," I informed her as I disgruntledly removed myself from the warmth of the bed. "I'll be over in a few."

"There's already a car waiting for you outside," Pam said gleefully, I really shouldn't have taken surprise to. "Wear the pleated yellow strapless dress."

I answered that I would adhere to her wishes but she had already hung up. Pam had stopped slinging the designer names at my head long ago, her descriptions were usually adequate enough to inform me what she had in mind.

Frankly I was too uninterested to remember all the fashion houses' names and used to cut the labels out as they merely itched at my sensitive skin. When Pam discovered this she had stopped talking to me for a week. Only when she informed me it was detrimental to their collective appeal did I refrain from doing so again. The only reason I justified purchasing these extortionately priced pieces of clothing was with the knowledge they accrued value over time and in turn would coffer the pockets of my favoured charities when auctioned off.

The dress I wore last night would be the first I would keep for myself. I had avoided wearing it for a long time as the colour called for an attention I did not want to garner. Eric's appreciation of it had changed that, from him that attention _was_ wanted and the dress would be a memento of that. I zipped myself into the requested yellow dress after washing away the previous night's events. I didn't bother with makeup or styling my hair, knowing Pam would undo it instantly on sight.

I was glad Pam had reached out to me, so much had happened in such a short period of time and we had barely exchanged a few sentences in between. My mind couldn't help but wonder back to the unusual cheery disposition Pam's voice suggested over the telephone. When we had last spoke at length, she was still coping with the aftermath of the attack on her reign. She seemed close to breaking.

The code to her private chambers had remained unchanged just as the door to her private salon opened with the same ease as it ever did. "Pam," I called out at a higher volume than necessary. Knowing she'd be along soon enough, I followed my nose to the dainty round dining table that was set up with the finest linens and a small gathering of her favoured pink tea roses. I fondled the petals of one remembering the time Eric and I spent in the rose garden the previous night. Like every event these days, or rather nights, it seemed a lifetime ago.

I lifted one of the ornate silver cloches that held our breakfasts warm relishing in the smell that had me nostalgic for my Gran's cooking. I was momentarily lost in my sensorial memories, so much so that I didn't notice the vampire taking the seat beside me.

"You must be Sookie," he said with a deep timbre to his tone.

I let the cloche fall down over the delicate fine bone china with a loud bang with his sudden appearance. Thankfully it all remained unscathed aside from my nerves.

"Yes," I acknowledged as soon as my breath caught a regular rhythm again. "You must be Pam's proud papa."

Like with Aelia, amusement wasn't eradicated from his expressions. He let out a wry smile before he offered his hand in greeting, "Kristian Holstein-Sonderburg, Duke of Ærø."

"Sookie Stackhouse," I returned. "Of plain ol' Bon Temps."

"Tut, tut, Ms Stackhouse," he admonished. "There is so much more to you than that." Kristian and all his fancy names were right of course but that news had yet to settle in proper. I had not even given Jason a call beyond informing him of my relative safety and receiving word of his assured one. I was now Sookie Stackhouse of the Sky Fae, what that entailed, however, remained a mystery to me.

"Perhaps," I answered non-committedly as I was yet to understand what being a descendant of an unknown species would mean. "But I'll always be Sookie Stackhouse of Bon Temps no matter how many titles are attached beyond that."

"True," Kristian acknowledged. He regarded me with a calculated scrutiny as if weighing the worth of my words more than once. "You have an able attitude for your position."

"Thank you," I returned contented with the compliment. Ever since Eric re-entered my life for some reason it had become easier to recognise them as spoken truths rather than the niceties I had always taken them for. "Will Pam be joining us?"

He let out a small sigh while he scratched the scruff of his beard. "I dearly hope so," he started. "Alas she is still deciding on what to wear."

"Then I suggest we start without her," I proposed. If it had not been for Kristian's presence I would have done so as well. Pam usually sauntered in at some point and simply downed a bottle of specialty blood. "The food will be cold and she doesn't care for it much regardless."

"You are probably right," he smiled to me with kindness hidden in his deep blue eyes. It was the one detail Pam had ever shared of him with me. The unending depth of them that had mesmerized her, causing her to drown in him from the moment she met him. She wanted to become a vampire but she had confided in me if that had not been the case, those eyes would have determined to override her on that stance.

"Pam doesn't allow staff in here," I informed while pulling away the two covers that sat in front of our plates after observing his searching gaze around the room. I realised now that with her royalty status that was perhaps not as expected as I had once taken it for. "Or maybe not when I'm around."

"Pamela has never enjoyed playing by the rules," Kristian offered in understanding while I doused my perfect stack of pancakes in a flowing rivulet of amber syrup.

"Yet we all must adhere by hers," I jested which earned me a chortle from her Maker. "Who else would make me happily sit in a two thousand dollar dress for breakfast with friends? She made me go home and change once when I had worn something twice before."

"The archive of her mind is a menace to us all," he agreed with good humour in our co-created conspiracy. "I have yet to understand how she instantly knows what everyone else should wear but it takes her hours to decide that for herself."

"At least you have the power to make her stop," I returned in equal spirit but the expected levity of a retort was lost when his face grew with concern rather than amusement. The minute facial expression was slight but it was clearly legible to me. Unintended I had hit a nerve, a weak spot in their relations.

"She is the only force that has the power to contain herself," he returned quite seriously. That told me all there was to know of their relationship. Kristian loved her greatly and that had prevented him from being the Maker he needed to be for her. It explained why Godric had become a second father to her, he stepped in where Kristian was unable. He was only ever able to indulge her.

"She is not meant to be kept or tamed," I recited, they were the words stolen from Eric's human mind. He had thought them of me but I now saw they described Pam equally as well. It had been those thoughts that anchored me to him then, it was beyond thinking nice thoughts of me. He understood exactly who I was at my core when our conversations couldn't be considered anything but brief. Eric saw beyond the façade and the shields I held firmly in place. He got _me_ and that was why no one had been able to take his place in that reserved corner of my heart.

"Indeed," Kristian responded curtly to my assessment. The gentle kindness that had flowed into our conversation earlier had dissipated into the expected façade of a well-practiced Sanguine, reserved and pristine. Flawless but cold. I had inadvertently hit too close to the truth, even without the ability to read one's mind it was a habit that was hard to shed.

"Have you visited Pam here before," my inner hostess asked, hoping to relieve the tension I had unintentionally caused. The change of subject seemed to do the trick as he relaxed into his seat in time for Godric to join us.

"Not here. Not since she ascended the throne," he said quite proudly with a glint in his shining eyes. As Godric greeted us he looked confused towards the empty chair beside me. Perhaps I should have woken Eric after all instead of sneaking out of the house leaving him a cryptic message behind.

"Ah good everyone is here," Pam announced wearing what Jason would describe as a dressing gown but I had been educated by her royal highness herself to call a kaftan. The light silk flowed delicately between her highly heeled legs with her strong strides. It wasn't something she would usually wear, the distinct pattern and loose drape was a break with the tradition of her usually structured and highly tailored appearance. For Pam it was about as casual as she was ever going to get in what probably constituted the average monthly salary of a resident of Bon Temps. The discerning look on her face had yet to disappear when she demanded of me, "Where's Eric?"

"At home," I responded like a disobedient child caught in her mischief biting at my bottom lip to feign my innocence. Truthfully I left him behind because he looked like he could use the sleep and I had yet to forgive him his sneaky entrance into my bed. Now I thought otherwise.

"How did you come here?" Godric asked with deep concern. The two other sets of eyes carried the same emotion as his.

"By car," I stammered with the continued scrutiny of my person. It was rather unnerving, they just needed to add Aelia into the mix and I would be well on my way to overcooked with the intensity of their heated gazes. "I was told there would be pancakes," I offered in a lame defence at their continued silence.

"I told you to stay by Eric's side," Pam fumed with what I hoped was concern. Suddenly I feared for Eric's safety. The two Guards of Anûšiya that had been assigned to us had followed me here, as did Alcide's team. There would always be a skeleton crew present at the house but Eric was essentially home alone in an unsecured bedroom.

"I have to get to Eric," I spoke with sudden alarm at what my actions had caused. Before I managed to get out of my chair Godric halted my progress, urging me back to my seat.

"It's not him we are concerned for Sookie," he said gently. I managed to mumble a 'but' and was soon cut off again. Godric's pleading face made me hold my tongue and in exchange I listened. "Until we figure out who and what is behind these attacks your safety is our primary concern. Someone of our bloodline must be in your proximity at all times."

"Because I'm the only fairy telepath you've got," I ascertained. It was the duplicitous nature of my supposed 'gift'. I was a useful asset to have but I was a weapon at the same time, in the grand scheme of things I was no longer a person, merely a skill to be used or abused and to covet.

"Sookie you know it is more than that," Pam soothed with a sympathy I had yet to witness from her. It struck me that they were words her Maker had spoken to me but a few moments ago with a distinctively different intent. To add to my confusion her royal highness knelt on the floor beside me cupping my face between her hands. Granted the carpet was luxuriously soft but I didn't think Pam ever knelt for anyone. Had the mood not been so serious I would have feared an assault of her lips as my cheeks were firmly lodged in her grasp with that intense gaze of her. "There is only one Sookie Stackhouse I know and I don't want _her_ going anywhere. Telepathic fairy extraordinaire or not."

"Thanks Pam," I mumbled in return as her thumb wiped away the lonely tear that had trickled from the corner of my eye. "What about Eric?" I asked of Godric as my worries for his safety came to my attention again. Before he could answer me, the devil I spoke of had flown his arms around and held me tightly in his embrace as I took in the slightly burnished red complexion of his skin bearing the effects of the brief exposure to the sun.

"Don't ever do that to me again," he murmured into the crown of my hair. I realised now that my good humoured 'ransom' note had not met its audience as intended. I guess he didn't read on to the part where I demanded silver dollar pancakes in exchange for my freedom. I muttered an 'I'm sorry' into his chest but he made no indication of hearing it as his hands seemed to be tracing every inch of my body inspecting it for damage.

"I'm fine," I said a little louder pulling him from his scrutiny of my unharmed form. "Are you?"

"Of course," he scoffed with near indignation. "Whoever took you is lucky someone else found you before I did."

"No one took me Eric," I whispered while searching out his erratically shifting eyes. Fear and panic was still meandering out along with the relief that I was safe and sound. "You didn't finish reading the note…"

The extended breath he exhaled finally settled the panic raging through his body. I expected him to be mad or upset at the disregard of my safety like the others had been but all I could detect was gratitude that I was unharmed. It settled the decision that had been weighing heavily on me. Or in part, the first step to a larger scheme.

Finding the raging storm swirl to calm waters in the deep pools of his eyes I presented my balm to the inflicted wound, "I accept the offer of your blood." It wasn't a pledge to a bond, rather an invitation to what could become one. It would tie us and alleviate concerns of my safety. Not for my own, rather for his ease of mind as well as the congregated group of his family members that regarded us in this distant corner of the room.

"You are certain?" he asked of me with a degree of awe as one hand held me firmly by the waist as if I were to suddenly dissipate with my words. The other trailed the outer edges of my face with the slightly calloused tips of his fingers in a touch so gentle it made the fine hairs stand at attention at the seemingly individual acknowledgement of each and every one. With a contented smile and earnest eyes I nodded in acknowledgement of what I had spoken. The sight of his gleamingly white teeth had me worried I was to take him up on his offer then and there but instead the soft lips that surrounded them found themselves firmly pressed to mine.

Considerate of the audience we had garnered or perhaps in recognition of my modesty it was nothing more than that. The extremities of our faces bounced contentedly against each other, the gesture sealed with mirrored smiles. A chaste kiss was placed firmly on my forehead as he whispered a private word of gratitude.

Our moment of quietude was interrupted by a gagging noise I recognised as uniquely Pam's. "Get over here you two, before I lose my appetite," she drawled out in her tone of disapproval that shielded her wry humour.

"It's not like you ever had one," I quipped back as I pulled Eric behind me towards the dining table. I knew I had found a partner in crime when Kristian heartily laughed out loud at my comeback. Her aggravated look only added to his amusement as he pulled her into his lap where she wiggled uncomfortably at the display of affection in front of others. He whispered something into her ears in what I assumed to be Danish before letting her go with a kiss to shell of her ear. She instantly regained her regal stature as she seated herself down next to him ignoring any further of his attentions.

Eric scooted his chair closer to mine than the table setting dictated which got us a disapproving demonstration of Pam's perfectly plucked brow. I rested my arm in defiance over his telling him to stay put and in a token of solidarity he interlaced his fingers with mine. "You already ate?" Pam discerned sternly.

"We were under the impression you would be a while," Kristian said with a wink directed my way. As handsome as he might be, there was little competition between him and Eric as far as I was concerned. However, the blonde vampire beside me deemed otherwise as he planted a soft kiss towards the corner of my eye and whispered, "Mine." It seemed said more for his own benefit than Kristian's or mine so my hand merely squeezed his in acknowledgement.

"Will Aelia not be joining us?" I asked distracting Pam from the impending temper tantrum waiting to be unleashed with her Maker's teasing.

"She has gone to investigate the grounds of your former home," Godric answered carefully of the subject I had failed to broach with anyone, even Eric. I knew the house was gone and I could rebuild it to the exact specifications of what it was but it wouldn't ever be the same. The pictures Eric had drawn for me gave me more of a physical memory of what I lost than anything else ever would. Understanding my pain without the possession of his blood inside of me, Eric's thumb gently caressed over the back of my hand in soothing. I mouthed a soft 'thank you' before resting my head on his shoulder.

"What is she seeking?" Kristian asked digging into the second helping of pancakes as Pam had exchanged her plate for his empty one. It was a ritual she had always exercised with me, it always marked the halfway point of our breakfast meetings. At my longing look to the generous stack of pancakes Eric did the same with our plates. After inhaling the faint smell of vanilla and sweetened cake I set to work cleaning the second helping with my single free hand, the subject of the conversation somewhat lost to me.

"A portal to Faerum."

With that sudden piece of information the piece of pancake I was contentedly chewing at flew out of my mouth to squarely land in the bare expanse of skin on Pam's chest. I didn't even have the time to take in Pam's undoubtedly pissed off face as she had sped off in an instant with Kristian trailing not far behind. In my embarrassment I chewed away at my bottom lip as Godric bowled over in laughter.

"See älskling, no one makes him laugh like that," Eric murmured into the shell of my ear while directing my gaze towards his hysterical Maker. "It's all you."

**A/N: See I promised Sookie wouldn't hold her grudge against Eric that long… So a little bit of levity before the craziness ensues again as Compton has an appointment with our favourite Queen next time….**


	16. Chapter 16 - Ecstatic

"_She has gone to investigate the grounds of your former home," Godric answered carefully of the subject I had failed to broach with anyone, even Eric. I knew the house was gone and I could rebuild it to the exact specifications of what it was but it wouldn't ever be the same. The pictures Eric had drawn for me gave me more of a physical memory of what I lost than anything else ever would. Understanding my pain without the possession of his blood inside of me, Eric's thumb gently caressed over the back of my hand in soothing. I mouthed a soft 'thank you' before resting my head on his shoulder. _

"_What is she seeking?" Kristian asked digging into the second helping of pancakes as Pam had exchanged her plate for his empty one. It was a ritual she had always exercised with me, it always marked the halfway point of our breakfast meetings. At my longing look to the generous stack of pancakes Eric did the same with our plates. After inhaling the faint smell of vanilla and sweetened cake I set to work cleaning the second helping with my single free hand, the subject of the conversation somewhat lost to me._

"_A portal to Faerum."_

_With that sudden piece of information the piece of pancake I was contentedly chewing at flew out of my mouth to squarely land in the bare expanse of skin on Pam's chest. I didn't even have the time to take in Pam's undoubtedly pissed off face as she had sped off in an instant with Kristian trailing not far behind. In my embarrassment I chewed away at my bottom lip as Godric bowled over in laughter._

"_See älskling, no one makes him laugh like that," Eric murmured into the shell of my ear while directing my gaze towards his hysterical Maker. "It's all you." _

**Chapter 16 – Ecstatic**

**EPOV**

I was ecstatic, despite the panic that had engulfed me from the moment of my abrupt waking. The panic had been induced by the force of my Maker's bond startling me to pains. There was no doubt about it, he was suitably disappointed in whatever I had neglected to do during daylight hours. My inner alarm continued upon discovering a ransom note and a deserted house. Her scent lingered but was faint, the call of my Maker forced me to his side when all I wanted was to track Sookie with my heightened sense of smell. The relief was unending when that same nose recognised the natural perfume that was uniquely her in the presence of the Maker that had bid me to him. I had flown at her, holding her securely in my arms nearly catapulting us out of the French windows had Godric not halted my enthusiasm through that same shared bond.

While she was still denying me sex on account of my overenthusiastic behaviour last night, in reward for her unsupervised travels she had offered me something far more meaningful. Rather she was going to accept a part of me to reside inside of her. My blood mingling in among hers. It was an opening offer, setting the door ajar and I commended her decision. Aelia was pushing for more and she gave what she could. There was no sign of greed or frugality it was merely a move of calculated contemplation. She dared stand her ground with a Sanguine Grandest Sire who had ruled for millennia without a chance of offense.

_And_ she had driven my Maker to tears of hysterics. While I tried desperately to hold my amusement, in an effort to spare her further embarrassment it became too hard to contain when Godric tried to explain and imitate the look on Pam's face that we had both missed with her great escape as we were merely left with a gust of air that signalled her humility. Thankfully Sookie couldn't contain her laughter either with my Maker's merriment at which _her_ humiliation with the situation was lost to the wind.

"Thank you," Godric croaked out when the worst of his hysterics had passed. "Sweet Sookie I have not laughed this hard for so long."

"I'll try to do it more often then," she jested, although I seriously hoped she would. Pam's stiff demeanour could use a good amount of disentanglement now and then and with the state of our affairs the action was a welcome diversion. I kissed the side of her temple softly hiding her heavenly blush of mortification while catching the mischievous glint in her eye. She was embarrassed but far more amused than anything else.

"I'm glad I can amuse you all so much," Pam declared testily as she seated herself again in perfect composure. Gone were the 'casual' clothes and in its place sat her royal highness in a sleekly tailored dress that was as stiff as the woman who held the imaginary crown.

"I'm sorry Pam," Sookie offered sincerely, but somehow I knew whether my blood resided inside of her or not that she was enjoying this far more than that incredible poker face let on. A soft snort was the only acknowledgement Sookie received in return which had us all stand to attention to Pam's Maker.

"Pamela," he hissed sharply but with a mere look of feigned hurt all his disappointment in her was lost. He scooped her up and sat her in his lap and whispered his native Danish to her ear, "Humlebi, do not be so upset. This only means we can do it all over again some other time."

Sookie looked at me curiously and I mirrored her expression. Maker child relations were special and unique but I had never witnessed one of such tenderness where the Maker was so lacks in his exertion of control. If anything it seemed to be Pam who held the reins in their relationship.

Ærø had put me through my paces when teaching me the finer finesses of hand to hand combat, his reprimands had been anything but tender or encouraging so I knew he was capable. He was tough and demanding, seeking to push me to that edge that pulled the most impressive performance in my newly found state. It was an approach I responded to well. It was an attitude that I had always demanded from myself. I knew what was expected of me and found solace in that, but by the looks of the interactions in their relationship it was a minefield of unspoken rules that knew no bounds.

Our observation of the rare sight was interrupted by Pam's social secretary informing us the cretin Compton had arrived ready and waiting for his public apology. It was only just after sundown which meant he had purposefully rested close by so he would be assured there was a large audience with Pam's public apology as most of her court dissipated later on in the night. There was little I had heard of that Impurus so far that didn't seek to further damn the image I had already built of him. Whether he was a full blooded vampire or not it would make little difference. I knew his type, anyone with first-hand knowledge of wealth and class recognised the type instantly. Sycophant social climber.

He wants for all the praise and power without putting in the work. To the outside world the things we do look effortless but everything comes at a cost and labour is a part of that. Bill Compton is one who schemes to bypass those laws. His recruitment of Staci proved exactly that. We were probably no better by using the girl in the same way, but then we never came up with the original concept. Thanks to Sookie's insight we worked with what we got.

While Sookie intertwined her fingers in mine below the surface of the table I was reminded of Andre's overt interest in her, which had me squeezing back her hand a little bit more forcibly than it should as I remembered with equal disgust Pam's annoyance of Compton's pursuit Sookie. I wanted nothing more than to force feed my blood to her then and there marking her as clearly mine to both the Impurus and anyone else present in that court. On her skin there was a vague linger of my scent but it was hardly strong enough to prove my claim, once my blood was inside of her it would smell of us. A unique aroma that would leave no doubt to who she was and to whom she belonged. It was something I desperately wanted everyone to know, regardless of how primitive it may seem. My new nature demanded it and the joy of the prospect of that consummation had me happier than I had been in a long while.

"You will join me all?" Pam requested rather than asked. It was a given Sookie would be there to observe Staci's mind which meant my presence would be required. Or rather our performance was required to maintain the ruse Sookie had initiated the night before. A mere round of confirming nods had us following her out of the door. My Maker stopped me briefly before I managed to step out of her private quarters. I feared the lecture of my apparent neglect of Sookie's safety but his tone was gentle instead. After witnessing Pam and her Maker's bond I feared I was still asleep or in an inverted twilight zone.

"Eric," Godric started carefully after assuring Sookie we would follow soon. It worried me whenever his tone was gentle like this, it usually built up to something more. "You are not used to court life. Follow Pamela and Aelia's lead their experience will teach you much."

I stared at him with deference as I waited for him to elaborate, inform me of my mistakes. Yet he continued to stare at me with a silent return I could not place. It only sought to make me more anxious with upcoming events and wanting to be by Sookie's side now.

"You will do fine," he finally said with a small smile of encouragement which had me convinced that I was indeed in the aforementioned twilight zone. "You and Sookie did very well last night. Be him."

'Him' was the man I no longer wanted to be and Sookie had me believe I never was. I wanted to be the Sanguine in the Koenigsegg for Sookie not the douche in the Corvettte. As long as it was pretend I could live with it, I had played that role successfully for years and the only one who ever saw through that farce was Sookie and she had won my heart instantly with that recognition. She couldn't read my mind anymore but from our interactions these past few nights I was certain there was no need for it any longer and soon the tables would turn. I would know all the emotions that her expertly held facade refused to inform me of while she now remained guessing mine.

I. Couldn't. Wait.

"Have you ever shared your blood?" I asked Godric tentatively as for once he seemed willingly to dispense sage advice without repercussion or scrutiny.

"Your turning was the first time I ever opened my veins to another," he said with a wistful smile. Sookie could deny it all she wanted, but the wide smile that lit up her eyes effulgently was an infectious one that even managed to reach the sullen mind of my melancholic Maker. "I will ask Ærø to speak with you."

That surprised me, my teacher in arms didn't seem like the type to share his blood. I knew of a human companion he kept but she had aged naturally with time and he didn't seem to care much for her. She was more like a live in maid than a paramour. My Maker must have either read the confusion on my face or taken notice of it through our bond when he supplied, "He gave Pam a taste before her turning." Godric has spoken it so softly in my native tongue that it was a miracle I had heard it at all. It was only because of the melodic cadence that typified the Swedish language that made my hearing stand to attention. I nodded deferentially, knowing this would be a secret I would have to keep. Apparently Pam had an illegal sip. If this were to reach Aelia's ears it wouldn't matter that centuries had passed, there would be repercussions to Pam's Maker. Possibly final death.

When we arrived in the antechamber to Pam's throne room Sookie stood waiting patiently by the door with Shahbaz discussing the merits of cayenne pepper. They had taken quite a liking to each other and bonded over a mutual love of cooking. I couldn't blame his interest. Sookie had a natural pull and no matter what my Grandest Sire had revealed of her origins I knew it to be related to her kind personality rather than the scent of Fae. It just took the rest of the world longer to see what I saw in instant.

At my sighting she gave me a wary eye, things were fine between us in the greater scheme of things. I suspect we always would be, things between us are just effortless like that. We don't even need to be together for that. The skirmishes that will still exist live in the little details that bring us closer or threaten to catapult us apart. She'll give me a most precious gift by taking my blood but remain thoroughly pissed for my grab ass behaviour all in the span of an hour.

I couldn't care less. She's mine, good or bad, I'll take it all in greedily.

She was a little stiff in response when I placed a kiss to the crown of her golden hair. Sookie thought she fooled me, but I caught the small satisfied smile that appeared with the feel of it.

"I'll behave," I promised sincerely, with it, alleviating the hint of worry she carried for an exact repeat enactment of last night. I understood her hesitance as perfectly as my own. Such outlandish behaviour was pushing it with the small audience we had then but tonight I intended to show what being mine truly meant. I will be the douche for everyone else but for her I'll always be the man she encountered in my mind.

"You better," she returned with a mischievous warning to her bright eyes. The threat was idle, she enjoyed the continuance of our play just as much as I did. We both knew far too much about pretending to be someone we were not. At some point both of us may have gotten too caught up in the performance to notice we no longer were ourselves. Without fail we could recognise the truth in the other, without knowing it I had let her into the inner sanctum of my mind as I settled in her heart. Unlike many who knew of her telepathy it had never made me feel violated. That she knew me in my rawest form brought me to submission, while I stood in awe of her acceptance of that.

"Ready?" Shahbaz asked to which we nodded diligently before we were announced to the congregated court. Aelia and Pam were seated in dual thrones. Pam may be the queen of a vast area but our Grandest Sire will always outrank any position we hold. The executive power, however, remains firmly beside Pam.

We were seated on the raised dais to the left of Pam in order of importance which left Sookie and I on the end while the agenda was announced to the rest of the congregation. It wasn't hard to miss Compton's disappointment, the crowd wasn't as large. He had miscalculated in his eagerness to be the first item on the agenda that the martial law invoked on the area left many to postpone their business with the Royal Court until travel could be embarked on with less hassle.

"Compton, we meet again," Pam said in a far kinder tone than I knew it to be. I had no blood tie with her but even in my distant relation I could feel the blood boiling underneath her skin at the sighting of this particular Impurus.

"Your majesty," he replied with that overly smooth Southern accent as he bowed deeply yanking the clearly startled Staci along with him. It was only through the intervention of Shahbaz that the poor girl didn't collide harshly with the glistening marble floors. Now he had Sookie's blood boiling too as he leered at her upon raising his eyes. I suffered the consequences, where her face left no registration of her discontent her fingernails dug deeply into my thigh. I covered the act of her ire with my own hand and with that realisation she suddenly eased up on her unintended assault.

It was amusing to watch as her Southern manners were itching to apologise but the circumstances didn't allow for it. "Behave," I whispered to her ears in tease, which pushed at the limits of her acting capabilities to contain the amusement I had caused. "If you're so thirsty for my blood you should have just said so," I continued to taunt in a soft voice I was sure only she would hear.

"Eric," she hissed in a low tone, however it failed to hide our antics to the other vampires present in its volume. Pam's Maker gave me pointed look alongside Godric's but I knew from my Maker's bond this was exactly what was expected of us. To all other's present we looked like a quarrelling couple that misbehaved instead of the reality of Sookie disentangling the mind of the informant in front of us. I was an entitled ass with an enviable piece of candy by my side who got everything without working a day in my life. From the enviable looks that Bill Compton was throwing towards my Sookie and I we were projecting that image quite well. None of us needed to be a mind reader to recognise the churnings in his feeble brain as he targeted Sookie as our family's apparent weak spot.

It was in that moment that Aelia struck like the viper Godric had always told me she was. "Northman," she addressed me coolly not even bothering to acknowledge the piece of sunshine by my side, stationing Sookie's status alongside Staci's. "Your human appears parched. Send her away." I nodded dutifully and with a mere glance towards Sookie she obligingly got up and ready to depart. We were unsure of their exact intentions but knowing the scheming minds of Pam and Aelia it wouldn't take long to be revealed to us.

"Ms Stackhouse, wait," Pam commanded when she reached the door. She hid it well but Pam seemed to enjoy taunting the stubborn streak of Sookie with an equal pleasure to mine. It was a little much, the Queen still had a score to settle over a ruined dress after all. However, with the change of dress her focus was all business for now. I slightly feared for Sookie with Pam's eventual retaliation though. "Compton, perhaps your human would care to join Northman's companion."

The envy the foul blooded vampire held for my relationship to Sookie was quickly stifled at the sound of the word 'companion'. He could hardly contain his glee to be offered the opportunity of his personal data miner to continue to build relations with a 'feeble' human with access to our inner sanctum.

"That would be greatly appreciated, your majesty," he returned with poorly contained delight. Without pause he shoved Staci towards the door while whispering instructions into her ear. Sookie kindly took her hand whisking her out of Compton's grasp quickly.

"Compton," Pam addressed again, which had him standing to attention in an instant like the foot soldier that he once was. The man may have many years on me and actual battle experience but it was clear he lacked the finesse to see the necessary strategy to pull of an elaborate plan as he had so easily given away his most precious weapon to Sookie.

"Your targeting in the conspiracy of the attacks on my house of Sanguine and Royal Court were unjust," Pam intoned with her signature bored iteration. Compton looked gleeful with the admission as he completely missed the underlying message she was declaring to the room. "You have my personal apologies for the treatment you and your human suffered in my care. Reparations will be made and if you would indulge me, with recent events I find myself without an official liaison with your kind. It would humble my court if you were to fill that position."

The greed in his beady eyes betrayed his bartering position instantly and even he had been smart enough to realise that, he accepted without any further demands while gloating at the moderate assembly of important vampires. Indeed it was a rare sight for a royal to offer a public apology. Except he hadn't gotten one. Pam had been calculating with her words when she had given him an apology from her person, not from the crown and offered him a position that never existed before. He was given a title in the credit score but that was all his 'employment' would ever entail.

By the appearances of his inner musings he was already ordering the business cards on heavy stock paper with gilded lettering but no matter how expensive and impressive they may appear it would buy him no entrance with the Sanguine. Judging by the ones present here tonight, all credit went to the clever words of the Queen as they regarded Compton's immodest preening with a knowing glance.

Sookie had been proven right again. Anyone of importance was intelligent enough to recognise that Pam was merely placating for appearances. The Sanguines approved, any Impurus who had the intelligence to see through her ploy would be critical of her regardless. The masses had been catered to.

Once more I was ecstatic with the way the night's events had unfolded until I heard a faint scream that I never wanted to hear. I was back to panic again. With it came the scent of blood that had an entire room drop their fangs but I was already flying out the door before I heard the familiar 'snicks' shift into place. I recognised that smell instantly as I was the only being that had ever sampled that blood even if it had been an accident.

It was fucking mine.

…

…

**A/N: I know terrible cliffie, you can't just leave Sookie unsupervised in that palace… go read my latest one-shot Coldfinger if you missed out on that… those will surely get you laughing again :D**


	17. Chapter 17 - Wounds

_The greed in his beady eyes betrayed his bartering position instantly and even he had been smart enough to realise that, he accepted without any further demands while gloating at the moderate assembly of important vampires. Indeed it was a rare sight for a royal to offer a public apology. Except he hadn't gotten one. Pam had been calculating with her words when she had given him an apology from her person, not from the crown and offered him a position that never existed before. He was given a title in the credit score but that was all his 'employment' would ever entail. _

_By the appearances of his inner musings he was already ordering the business cards on heavy stock paper with gilded lettering but no matter how expensive and impressive they may appear it would buy him no entrance with the Sanguine. Judging by the ones present here tonight, all credit went to the clever words of the Queen as they regarded Compton's immodest preening with a knowing glance. _

_Sookie had been proven right again. Anyone of importance was intelligent enough to recognise that Pam was merely placating for appearances. The Sanguines approved, any Impurus who had the intelligence to see through her ploy would be critical of her regardless. The masses had been catered to. _

_Once more I was ecstatic with the way the night's events had unfolded until I heard a faint scream that I never wanted to hear. I was back to panic again. With it came the scent of blood that had an entire room drop their fangs but I was already flying out the door before I heard the familiar 'snicks' shift into place. I recognised that smell instantly as I was the only being that had ever sampled that blood even if it had been an accident. _

_It was fucking mine._

**Chapter 17 – Wounds**

_PPOV_

Protocol demanded I held my face in place when it was ready to explode. I was beyond pissed, downright livid. Sookie had been harmed in the protection of my home. I couldn't care if it was a scraped knee or a paper cut. _She hurts, I hurt._ After her solo expedition this afternoon I couldn't have been clearer to my security staff. The little telepath was to venture nowhere alone.

Lacking supersonic flying speeds I was the last to arrive to the scene of the crime. I wasn't met with a sight that I had feared of a bleeding out and pale pallor that would jar with the colour of her bright dress. No behind the squadron of Guards of Anûšiya I was met with the bright smile of my friend whose every expanse of skin was being scanned by Eric's discerning eyes. He'd probably be ripping of that dress in panic if her heart didn't beat at such a steady rhythm.

"I'm okay," Sookie informed me with a tone, then proceeded to tell me she was becoming really sick of repeating that sentence to the gallery of scrutinising faces over and over again. She held up her wrapped wrist that was swaddled in a white bandage. I scented that the wound had already closed and the loss of blood was minimal judging by the two drops on her dress. The magnificent creation by an Italian fashion master was ruined of course, but for once I cared more for the person who wore that garment than the extraordinary item of craftsmanship itseld. At my discriminating look Sookie supplied, "No worries Pam, I'll get the stains out. A little bit of salt and cold water just like my Gran taught me and it'll be good as new."

I couldn't help but shake my head in admonishment at her attempt to cheer me up when she was the one that had sustained the damage tonight. I couldn't hide the fact that it had worked so effectively either as a smile crept over the stiff features of my face.

"The wound is self-inflicted," Kristian whispered beside me in his native tongue that among those present only I and Godric would understand. My Maker was an expert in weaponry and thus the wounds they inflicted so he knew of what he spoke. However the uttered sentence was simple enough for Eric to understand with his modern Swedish hearing.

"Perhaps you should take Sookie to my quarters," I interjected before Eric could demand of Sookie why she would have done such a thing in front of the gathered crowd. An accompanying stern look from Godric had him nodding submissively as he gathered her small form to his body despite her protests that she was perfectly fine to walk. Before they departed Sookie insisted that she and Staci meet up for lunch the next day. I didn't know what that was about but I was sure to hear it from the telepath's mouth soon enough.

"You will go with them?" I requested softly of my Maker who immediately nodded his accordance in return before I looked towards Godric and Shahbaz for guidance on the clean-up. With Sookie as the main attraction gone the larger crowd soon departed. The gleeful look Compton sported earlier was gone as he quickly took possession of Staci again. I didn't quite know how to regard his surly face but I knew it had nothing to do with concerns for the wide eyed girl.

"Andre," the high pitched tone of Sophie Anne shrieked through the hall that made me regret inviting her all over again despite the efficacy of the aforementioned child. "Let him go this instant."

The red headed temptress was used to getting her way as she was always a big fish in a small pond but in my vast ocean her demands hardly reverberated through these impressive halls. To prove that the guards restraining the now feral vampire ignored her every huff and puff she blew their way.

"Take him to the silver cells," I instructed with Godric's approving nod.

"He has done nothing wrong!" Sophie Anne screamed out in protest. She was most likely speaking the truth but there was no way I would allow him to walk until I understood from Sookie exactly what had occurred. "What of the human," she continued to hiss. "Will you imprison her without cause too?"

It was in that moment that Aelia sashayed in with a leisurely stroll and with a mere raise of her brows had Sophie Anne effectively mute. "What is your title?" she asked with a discerning eye, before Sophie Anne managed to answer Aelia's hand was already raised silencing her again. "Unless it is Queen, you best leave the decrees to another."

"This innocent girl hardly looks capable of harming a fly," I said while gesturing to Staci. With my comment it surfaced again, that annoying gleeful look on Compton's face. He was smug and content as if his plan had just come to fruition. Sophie Anne tried to contain her ire but it was poorly held, it was obvious she hardly spent her times among the Sanguine anymore. I would seriously have to reconsider her post in New Orleans in calmer times. "No harm will come to your child," I assured at which Sophie Anne seemed to calm slightly, her fear that I would treat him the same as what I had called him in to dole out now alleviated.

"Thank you, your Majesty," she said with ceremony before curtsying and trailing behind the snarling form of her child as he was taken away.

"What caused you to restrain him?" I asked Shahbaz when we entered the privacy of my office.

"The smell of the Sookie's blood had him ready to attack her in an instant," Shahbaz explained. "We were already wary of him as she seemed nervous at his sudden sighting in the hallway. His presence was accidental he seemed as surprised to see her as she. He acted like a newborn scenting his first prey."

"Very well," I nodded. "How was my friend harmed?"

"None of the guards witnessed it. Neither the Impurus or Compton's human inflicted the wound," he explained with a slight perplexity at the chain of events. "It was as if…"

"She drew the blood herself," Aelia supplied as she disengaged her feet from the confines of her shoes. The imperial guard gave a curt nod in acknowledgement of his voiced suspicions. "Ms Stackhouse knows what she's doing. You did well in protecting her."

"You humble me with your compliments Empress," Shahbaz returned with a deep bow. With it came a delighted snort from Aelia at the exaggerated rite. Before Shahbaz had come into my personal service he had been her personal bodyguard for decades and this was obviously still a remnant of their times together judging by the sly smile that emerged with the rest of his body when he stood erect again.

"I'll see to the prisoner then," he spoke conversationally to which Aelia merely gave an amused smile. I was about to interject as I just gave my assurance to Sophie Anne that Andre would remain unharmed would come to him.

"He'll give him some demon laced blood," Aelia assured me. It hardly seemed a punishment merely a revolting meal. "An old remedy to counteract the enchantment of fae blood."

"Why do you two seem so amused by it then?" I couldn't help but posit.

"If you think that demon blood is foul under normal circumstances than you have yet to try it after having wafted the scent of Fae in your nostrils," she gleamed with bright eyes. "True Blood is like ambrosia in comparison. Now shall we see to your friend?"

"How do you see everything so easily Aelia?" I requested as we ascended the stairs to my private quarters. Without witnessing the aftermath of Sookie's 'attack' she appeared to know exactly what had taken place where I had remained clueless after seeing it all. On top of that her little interaction with Shahbaz, whether intentionally staged or not, had revealed at least one leak in my court. Despite his young age Shahbaz knew of the fae and their scent, which meant he knew what Sookie had been all along.

"When you are as old as I there is little that has not been seen before," she informed me with a knowing smile as her pumps dangled daintily in her hands. It was a common sight with the most ancient of us, they tolerated footwear when necessary but as soon as appearances would allow their feet were bare and to the ground.

"Why do we even bother hiding anything from you?" I said with a roll of my eyes as I slipped into my off duty personality. It was one Aelia often brought out in me and I secretly suspected she enjoyed greatly and encouraged to surface.

"Otherwise there would be nothing left to entertain her," Godric quipped from behind us which had the woman in question titter with delight.

"So do you already know who is behind these attacks?" I asked wondering if we were just wasting our time and resources in favour of her perceptive mind.

Another snort escaped the end of her nose before she answered, "No for the first time in centuries that is something I have yet to see."

"So we are to assume you are already aware that Sookie has agreed to take young Eric's blood," Godric asked as we reached the large barrier of guards that stood in front of the doors to my private rooms. They parted instantly with our presence.

"No," she smiled. "But thank you for confirming what I assumed would be Ms Stackhouse's gracious acceptance of the initial offer." At the sight of my upheld brow in question she supplied, "I would have been sorely disappointed in the young woman had she meekly agreed to bond."

"Aelia you must learn to play nice," Godric said with mock disdain.

"I fear I am too old for that now," she volleyed back with a wink to my ancient uncle. "Playtime is for young ones like yourself."

"You don't look a day over 25," he teased back. "And before you say it, I have seen you without your face on."

"Touché, infant," Aelia offered in rhetoric defeat. "Now let's see to the patient, shall we?" she proposed before her hand unlatched the door and we put our 'official' faces back on.

"Please tell him I'm fine," Sookie insisted to the intolerant doctor by her side. I had hired Dr Ludwig for her bedside manner alone. Her qualifications were impeccable of course, but her snarky and appalling demeanour was one that scared the feigning sick of my retinue back into work without question.

Her eyes narrowed to dangerous slits as she regarded my inexperienced cousin. "She's FINE!" the hobbit of a doctor huffed out. If she wasn't so little I would fear with the next puff she blew out Eric would be catapulted out of the building with the magnitude of it. "Next time you deem a SCRATCH a life threatening emergency you will be relegated to my black list. Sanguine or not!"

"Thank you Ludwig, we'll keep it in mind," Kristian said already booting her tiny body out of the doors while Sookie guiltily traced the trail of the 'wound' that was now covered with two 'Hello Kitty!' Band-Aids. I recognised them as I had picked them out myself. I am mostly into pussies after all.

"I pay her good money to be so unkind," I offered to Eric's slightly shaken appearance. I knew it had little to do with the doctor and more with the events that had taken place. With his close proximity, the panic that had arisen within him had travelled quite easily through the blood bonds of our distant relation. "Keeps everyone in line," I explained with a shrug, Eric merely nodded in understanding but the fright had yet to subside fully even though I no longer felt it as strong in our shared familial blood line.

"Eric I'm fine!" Sookie said again in exasperation.

I quickly interrupted the 'But' that marked the beginning of his objections, "Perhaps you care to explain to him why you would intentionally release the scent of your blood in front of an unstable Impurus, missy." My brows were held in accusation longer than any human could hope to achieve as I knew it was a fool-proof way of getting an answer from Sookie Stackhouse without further discussion. I was sure that it was only through Godric's intervention that Eric remained so calm in awaiting her delayed response.

"I read it from Staci's mind as soon as we sighted Andre," Sookie explained carefully. "She was commanded to accidentally draw blood on my body so he would attack. I knew if she were to proceed the guards would arrest her instantly and we'd lose our mole. So I did the only thing I knew would stop the command from taking hold, by being one step ahead of her. Now _you_ can all try to figure out why the Impurus wanted to take out André specifically, because I doubt he would live through the night had he latched on to one of my veins." She held up the dangling diamond tennis bracelet of her other arm up in demonstration that housed a few drops of dried blood on the sharp corners of the metal settings in triumph.

"How do you manage to scare and impress me all at the same time," Eric whispered into her ear as relief finely took hold of his pensive features. It was a rather accurate description of her actions but then Sookie never had reason to take others into account for most of her life.

"I try," she replied with a small shrug.

"Don't," Eric pleaded as he softly kissed the shell of her ear.

"I'll try," Sookie returned with a poorly kept promise. She'll try as hard as I try to fly every day. Which is nil. Proving I knew her better than herself, my eyes had already drifted to Aelia before she asked of her, "can the Fae gifts enhance the Impurus too?"

"It is rare, but not unheard of," Aelia gave in answer as she scrutinised Sookie. It was a completely different examination to the one she had just received from Ludwig or Eric. It was a cool and calculated dissection of the being in front of her. Whatever Sookie was enquiring after consisted of information that simply wasn't shared and if I had not observed it from Aelia's face the securing movements of my Maker should have informed me as much.

"_Nothing_ travels beyond these walls," Sookie informed Kristian as she followed my observing gaze. We had the exact same security setup and while I had simply left Shahbaz to the coordination of the most strictest of security measures where she had argued the necessity and cost of every single itemised thing on the list with me. Right down to the necessity of the length of certain screws. The word 'cheapskate' wrapped in a poorly veiled cough may have tumbled out of my mouth once or twice during that process.

"She's right," I supplied since that aspect of the construction had been thoroughly tested during and after construction. Most recently after the damage inflicted by the bomb on the other wing of my palace.

"Nothing?" Aelia questioned directly to Sookie.

"_Nothing_," I answered on her behalf knowing Aelia was no longer informing after the state of the art set up of my humble abode but rather asking how tight the lips of the telepath were held, and because she still acted like a human child around me most days she zipped her mouth, locked it tight with a flick of the wrist and threw away the imaginary key.

"Well if anything you're amusing," Aelia pondered aloud with a parental shake of her head as she settled herself by my young friend. "Tell me why do you ask Sookie?"

"When Bill escorted Staci out he was commanding her by simply whispering in her ears," Sookie regaled. "There was no thrall, no hold in her mind. He reinforced the earlier command that pertained to André without words. I didn't understand what it was till it was too late and her compulsion to act was stronger than any glamour I have ever encountered."

"It may simply be through the blood," Godric explained. "I have heard it is difficult to command directly but suggestion can be strong. Especially with one who is willingly commandeered."

"No," Sookie said shaking her head. "Her brain is a minefield but I can discern the different signatures. I think Bill has a heightened form of persuasive gifts."

"Of what house does his line originate," Kristian asked me or rather the vault of information that put dedicated annals to shame.

"His Maker was a third generation Impurus coming from the house of Audovacar," I recalled from his file. The ancient German house had a similar stand to the Impurus as ours except they did not enforce the culling of them, they merely refused to acknowledge them as theirs.

"He does not strike me as one that could come from the vigilant and wealthy," my Maker discerned. The Audovacars were known for their impressive amount of coin and careful maintenance of it. They acted mostly as the supernatural world's gold reserve and bankers until the Great Reveal, though most Sanguine houses had remained loyal to their original creditors. The Audovacars held no records of their so called 'bastards' so it was easy enough for any Impurus to claim their origin to be of their line. With a simple petition for residency such records would and could not be checked as attentively as the Audovacars guarded their wealth.

"I can demand a blood draw for his new position. He can't draw suspicion to himself by refusing," I offered. Modern science didn't elude our own progress through time. Our DNA was different to that of our original human form but familiarity in the blood could be detected. It lacked the accuracy of a human paternity test but it would point us in the right direction. When there were no objections I practiced the shrug and sentence I would use when instructing Compton himself, "New security demands ever since the attacks."

"And when it comes to light Compton is not of the line he claims…" my uncle spoke with a rhetoric that reminded me of the lessons he coaxed me through when I was first learning the manipulations of political craft.

"Then he and I will have a nice heart to heart, where I reveal to the poor sod that his Maker has been deceiving him of his true lineage all this time and what a giant bitch she must have been," I finished like the star pupil I was back then. Godric gave me an encouraging smile and thankfully refrained from the loving pat on my head that always had come along with it. Aside from that little had changed between then and now as I couldn't help but throw in a sentence of insubordination to diminish the flawless delivery of the previous one. "And maybe after we can like, totally, braid each other's hair and talk about boys."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'll admit I enjoy being in Pam's head a little too much now and then but she makes for a kick ass Queen right? Some of you discredited Bill as he seemed too far away from the scene of the crime but I guess never trust a Bill when he's in the tri-state area… **


	18. Chapter 18 - Changes

"_No," Sookie said shaking her head. "Her brain is a minefield but I can discern the different signatures. I think Bill has a heightened form of persuasive gifts."_

"_Of what house does his line originate," Kristian asked me or rather the vault of information that put dedicated annals to shame. _

"_His Maker was a third generation Impurus coming from the house of Audovacar," I recalled from his file. The ancient German house had a similar stand to the Impurus as ours except they did not enforce the culling of them, they merely refused to acknowledge them as theirs. _

"_He does not strike me as one that could come from the vigilant and wealthy," my Maker discerned. The Audovacars were known for their impressive amount of coin and careful maintenance of it. They acted mostly as the supernatural world's gold reserve and bankers until the Great Reveal, though most Sanguine houses had remained loyal to their original creditors. The Audovacars held no records of their so called 'bastards' so it was easy enough for any Impurus to claim their origin to be of their line. With a simple petition for residency such records would and could not be checked as attentively as the Audovacars guarded their wealth. _

"_I can demand a blood draw for his new position. He can't draw suspicion to himself by refusing," I offered. Modern science didn't elude our own progress through time. Our DNA was different to that of our original human form but familiarity in the blood could be detected. It lacked the accuracy of a human paternity test but it would point us in the right direction. When there were no objections I practiced the shrug and sentence I would use when instructing Compton himself, "New security demands ever since the attacks."_

"_And when it comes to light Compton is not of the line he claims…" my uncle spoke with a rhetoric that reminded me of the lessons he coaxed me through when I was first learning the manipulations of political craft._

"_Then he and I will have a nice heart to heart, where I reveal to the poor sod that his Maker has been deceiving him of his true lineage all this time and what a giant bitch she must have been," I finished like the star pupil I was back then. Godric gave me an encouraging smile and thankfully refrained from the loving pat on my head that always had come along with it. Aside from that little had changed between then and now as I couldn't help but throw in a sentence of insubordination to diminish the flawless delivery of the previous one. "And maybe after we can like, totally, braid each other's hair and talk about boys."_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18 – Changes<strong>

_SPOV_

Pam's dry delivery indicated she was clearly joking when she suggested she and Bill Compton should spend the evening braiding each other's hair and talk about boys but my eyes couldn't help but light up at the prospect of just that. Sans the Civil War veteran, of course.

"Sookie, let's find you something else to wear," the style queen herself said as she gestured disapprovingly to the minute droplets of blood that had stained the bright yellow of my dress. I smiled appreciatively knowing her display of disdain was merely a ruse to allow me to catch my breath without the scrutiny of her oppressive family. I gladly extracted myself from Eric's iron death grip in favour of the expansive rooms of Pam's closet and perhaps padded out behind her with a little bit too much pep in my step.

"Do you still have my pyjamas here?" I asked my friend while she rummaged through what was known as the 'casual' closet in an effort to find me something to wear. There was no use looking in one of her other closets as everything was tailored to the insanely small measurements of her waist that years of corsets had inflicted upon her.

"You may be injured, Sookie Stackhouse," she said pointedly. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to allow you to slum it in your pyjamas."

"I wasn't planning on going anywhere."

I was becoming rather annoyed with the upturned brow that was being thrown around amongst the Aurelies in lieu of asking an actual question so I remained defiantly silent in return. Pam's eyes narrowed with scrutiny before she asked, "What about Eric?"

"I think we could use some time apart," I shrugged, but those damn eyebrows informed me she wasn't having my nonchalance. "_I_ could use some time to myself," I adjusted.

"I don't blame you," Pam said with a flourish when she pulled the silk pyjama set from their hiding place. "It can be quite overwhelming while keeping up with the Aurelie's and this isn't even the full contingent."

"Can we just do a sleepover for old times' sake?" I asked softly. "Just you and me?"

"You've come up with worse propositions," she shrugged back and displayed her agreement by holding up the identical set of sleepwear in light blue to her own body. "Is my cousin's dick not as enticing as you thought? I thought he'd be packing something impressive."

"PAM!"

I should have been used to her crass speech that slipped out in the private realm of our conversations, but I was shocked regardless. Only to add to my mortification, the owner of the discussed appendage was in front of me in seconds growling at Pam in a low reverberation. I held him back by his waist foolishly thinking that might stop him but at least it kept him calm.

"Eric, Pam didn't do anything wrong," I sighed out, and was glad to feel the tension that had overtaken his body die down before the parental units of both fair-haired Sanguines entered the room. Thankfully this closet was larger than my childhood bedroom so there was ample space to accommodate the curious looks that were bouncing around.

"Did you?" Kristian asked me with an amused grin to which I could only shake my head in denial with equal cheek.

"Everybody out," Pam finally demanded while running everyone but me and Eric out of the room. "I'll go find us one of those horrible chick flicks you like to watch," she finished before closing the door on us. Pam had purposefully waited to fling that at my face knowing the inevitable roll of my eyes would be directed at a solidly closed door. She was the one who enjoyed those predictable movies more than me, but if I ever left the movie choice solely up to her we'd be watching animated Barbie shows all night.

"What did she say, Sookie?" Eric demanded as soon as we were alone.

"It's of absolute unimportance," I replied bunching the silk fabric of my intended outfit in my hands. At the sound of the rustling fabrics, he carefully pried them out of my grasp before setting it down on the island in the middle of the room. I hoped to be done with the conversation, but the scrutiny remained unchanged upon his face as his body moved closely into mine. "Ask her if you want, I don't really care. I'm not repeating it, she was just being her salacious self."

"She should know you're mine," Eric breathed out heavily as he nipped at the lobe of my ear before his lips grazed gently over the sensitised area surrounding it. A moan escaped from my lips to his ears at the feel of it, and I barely held my wits as I answered, "Pam wasn't bringing anything of mine into question."

His eyes sought out mine again with that characteristic twinkle in his eyes that had me refusing to believe anything had ever died inside this man. It signified life in every way. "She doubts _my_ virility?"

"That would be a first for you, wouldn't it?" I returned with the same mischief that resonated from his probing gaze and I couldn't contain the giggles that surfaced at the sight of his quirked brows.

"Indeed," he murmured huskily into my ear and pulled me closer to his body, demonstrating exactly the sum of his virility, and it was so impressive I discovered I was the one who was going to be having a hard time if I intended to continue to condition him through withholding of sex. Apparently I'd only be punishing myself in that equation.

"I'm sure to tell her how wrong she was tonight," I managed to strangle out in some sort of even tone of voice. My heightened heart rate had not gone unnoticed by him, nor the pink tinge of my face even if we were surrounded by more pink than a cloud of candy floss.

"Tonight?" he questioned against my lips before his pressed firmly again. Eric had clearly been making other plans and I was pretty sure it pertained me downing gallons of his blood till he was satisfied he could read me like an open book.

"I'm staying here," I answered when I regained the necessary air he always tended to steal away from me in a heated kiss. "Pam and I are having a slumber party."

I nearly fell backwards with the sudden detachment of his body from mine as he regarded me with even more scrutiny than when I was injured. "You're not invited," I added to simply stop the images forming in his mind. Like any man's mind with a pulse that I had had the 'courtesy' of reading, I knew where his thoughts were straying to, decidedly close to a gutter. With the supplementation of my words, his face had turned from amusement to a hard set chiselled one instead.

"You're not coming home with me?" he asked with a hint of aggression that was merely there to mask the hurt I had unintentionally caused with my frugal explanation.

"My life's a mess, Eric," I tried to explain but the hard set of his jaw was yet to relent. "I've only spoken to my brother for a few minutes to know he's safe, my Gran's house is falling to rubble, and it's been less than twenty-four hours since I discovered I'm not entirely human…"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted my ramble of all the uprooted things in my life. It wasn't perfunctory in its gesture, Eric truly felt remorse as if he were somehow responsible for it all. "I never…"

"Don't," I demanded with my index finger pressing firmly against his lips stilling the movement of his intended words. A small smile emerged behind it and he gave my finger a soft kiss, painting it with the remnants of my lip balm. "Eric, you're the best thing in my life right now," I confessed encouraging that small smile to reach wide into his eyes. "I'm not ready for the bubble to burst yet. I want to keep this simple and pure for as long as we can."

"Let me be there for you," he pleaded, his fingers running through my hair again. It was tempting to just say yes, to let him be the support system, but my entire world seemed to revolve around him already, he couldn't be the world too. I needed something to call my own for now.

"You already are, more than you know," I returned, resting my forehead to the top of his chest and his arms rested loosely over my back sheltering me in his encompassing embrace. "I'm not running away, just picking up the pieces that are laying idle."

"What about…"

"Me taking your blood," I finished for him and with his continued silence I offered, "I'd take it right now if that's what made you happy but we both know there's more to it than that. I fear Aelia might plan an entire ceremony around it."

"Let's run away to Vegas," he joked and I couldn't help but giggle along with the deep chuckle that vibrated from his chest to my face. It honestly wasn't a bad idea, if you disregarded the thought of taking blood in front of an Elvis impersonator, but simply the thought of the two us escaping the constant scrutiny around us.

"I bought a lake house a few years back when I resigned to the fact I wouldn't ever get my Gran's home back," I said in counter proposal. "It's not much, near Bon Temps, but it is private and easy to secure. How about you meet me there tomorrow night? Just you, me, and a whole host of security men."

"As long as I'm the only one giving you my blood, I think I can live with that," he returned with a soft kiss to the base of my hairline.

"Living?" I questioned with an amused smile but his face turned gravely serious when I had expected him to join me in my merrymaking.

"That's what it's like around you," he confessed. "I thought I would get the sensation back with my memories but it only returned by your side. With you I'm truly alive again."

My heels were off the ground instantly as I leaned into the balls of my feet to reach up to those serious lips which he lowered to meet my intent. This kiss was unlike any other that we had shared so far, for we were no longer hiding who we were to each other. My arms wrapped round his neck while his tongue sought out my own without fear of bloodshed. Inevitably my feet gave way under the intense sensation and he held me firm to his chest.

His lips continued to explore one side of my neck as I panted out, searching for new breaths. His tongue swiped lightly over the beating drum that announced the excitement that always seemed to rise between us, my heart palpating energetically for the both of us. "Go ahead," I whispered to his ear causing him to stiffen his hold on me.

With his loosening grip my feet fell flatly to the floor again as he looked down on me in wonder. "What are you saying?" he asked for clarification. The bravado of the moment escaped me, I had wanted to feel what it was to nourish him like that. It had felt right at the time, but I no longer understood the implications anymore.

"I wanted you to drink from me," I said knowing the heat that had been flushing my face now raged on in embarrassment.

"Wanted?" he returned with a whisper, the disappointment of the word existing in the past tense clearly legible in those pained eyes.

"Want," I returned softly. "I just don't know what it all entails anymore… everything I've ever known about blood sharing and bonding doesn't make sense any longer, at least not between us."

He trailed the soft hairs of my cheek with the back of his index finger flaring up little goose bumps from my flesh. "Maybe you should ask Aelia to join you tonight," he said with a small sigh. "She seems to be the leading expert on these matters."

"No," I shook my head in accordance to the statement; this evening would be for me and Pam. Escaping to a past with less excitement. "I think I'll ask Godric to join me in Bon Temps tomorrow. He doesn't seem to mind the sun as much."

"I'll happily blister red for you," he offered with the kindest smile that made me reconsider my set intentions all over again.

"You're relentless, Mr. Northman," I returned with reprimand, but my further admonishing was silenced with another heated kiss in which we both happily lost ourselves and escaped the burdens of our surroundings.

"This is real," he murmured as if only to reassure himself.

"Yeah it is," I couldn't help but agree with a wide smile.

* * *

><p>We never got round to braiding each other's hair but we did talk of boys. Or men rather. Though our slumber party was initially inspired from my need to breathe without one constantly at my side, by the time my head went to rest I found myself missing that sudden familiar presence. I could pretend all I liked that things weren't complicated and everything was exactly as it once was, but undeniable changes had taken place.<p>

"Are you ready to leave?" Godric's tentative voice asked of me. I was still lost in thought so he had to ask me again before I fully recognised his presence. I was still mentally unloading every stray thought I had found in my most recent foray into Staci's mind over lunch. When the pen finally left the overfilled pad I looked up to see him standing patiently wrapped in a hooded sweater with grey and bright green vertical stripes.

To prove that my own mind was only just starting up again, without thought I blurted out, "You look like a kid." My hand clasped firmly over my mouth with the offensive statement but Godric merely let out an amused chuckle.

"Do not apologise," he voiced when my mouth opened to attempt to do just that. "It is the truth, I was a child by today's standards when turned."

"I'm surprised Pam lets you get away with wearing that," I said, gesturing at the alarmingly bright hoodie hoping to divert attention from my unfiltered earlier comment. He may have been okay with truths randomly spurting out of my mouth but I wasn't.

His smile grew wider with a mischievous glean to his eyes before answering, "I deliberately try to find the most offensive ones whenever I visit with Pamela. It is payback for all the defiance she unleashed on me in her rearing. Then, they are also particularly effective in hiding from the sun."

"Better you than me," I quipped back. I had long ago figured out my life would be far safer if I simply let Pam call the shots when it came to all things fashion. He returned my small smile before his face fell stoic again as he started scanning the many things I had written out. I fully understood now why Eric was so excited to see a proof of happiness on Godric's face. There was just so much more to him with that sign of life on the surface. I couldn't bare it either if that was the only side of Godric I ever got to see.

"Things went well with Staci, I see," he commented from deep thought as he was surely making similar connections to my own.

"Yes," I answered while gathering the last of my things. We exited the small office of the restaurant that had been especially reserved for me. I came here often enough with Pam who had invested heavily in its inception so the staff took little notice of us as we walked the back hallways towards the staff entrance.

With an okay from Shahbaz, who stood waiting by the door, we made our way to the unremarkable sedan with slightly tinted windows.

"What have you uncovered for me then my little telepath," the Guard asked when all the doors closed in on us.

"Yours?" I taunted with a wink. "Better not let Eric in on that secret."

A low chuckle escaped from Godric's voice before Shahbaz joined in till my mood fell more serious with what I had uncovered from Staci's mind. "Andre was a sacrifice," I started to explain from the scraps of stray observations I managed to detect in the hold that was Staci's mind. "Sophie Anne's house-"

"The Zosime," Godric supplied.

"Yes, the Zosime. They didn't want to play with whomever is pulling at Bill's strings," I recalled. "They were hoping to force her into compliance by taking out her favoured child."

"The fact that he contributes quite effectively to Pam's reign must have been a convenient side effect," Shahbaz noted.

"Staci tainted his dinner with faery blood," I elaborated. "It's why his control was so poorly held."

"This puts evidence to your theory that whomever is behind this, is like you," Godric spoke appreciatively. "Have you found anything that could reveal his or her identity?"

Regrettably I shook my head. "The imprint on her brain is strongest concerning him or her, it's like the impenetrable nervous system where the rest of the glamour is held from. For all we know the information revealed from Staci's mind is planted."

"We shall regard it carefully, the Zosime are long standing allies," Godric agreed to which I gave an appreciative nod. "Anything else of importance?"

"They consider me an in to your inner circle through Eric. They have commanded her to do everything possible to befriend me." I paused momentarily to stare at the ends of my hair as I contemplated my next statement. "They don't know what I am," I shrugged even though that information had been a relief to uncover, my scepticism to the validity of the information kept me cautious.

"This is why you question the validity of the uncovered information," Godric noted.

"Yeah," I whispered, the disappointment not lost to the others. "If you open up a media file on me, what the people of Bon Temps have described me as you would know."

"If you knew what you were looking for," Shahbaz added. "They would know exactly what you are."

Silence settled over the possible implications but my thoughts were somewhat elsewhere.

"I fear for Staci's safety," I shared with concern as we were nearing Bon Temps.

"How so?" Shahbaz asked curiously.

"Her mind is getting more difficult to read," I explained. "There is not much room for her to take on any more of their specific mind holds. I worry what will become of her when it does."

"They were happy to sacrifice her if that meant taking out André," Godric noted considerably. I had a quick catch-up to do with the status of a Sanguine companion, but I was informed that André would have been severely punished, most likely with death by drinking from me without permission. Staci would have been banished from court and glamoured to not remember a thing but she would be a loose end that would surely be cleaned up in an unsavoury manner officiously. Godric seemed to share my concerns, "Perhaps whoever is addling her mind is already aware of this, grooming the next mark. You must tell me when the time is near; I shall claim Staci as my own."

"You are not known for this type of behaviour, Aurelie," Shahbaz spoke carefully. I knew from Pam it was common enough for the Sanguine to claim the pets or companions of the Impurus as their own. Sometimes out of charity for the maltreatment of the pet but more often than not simply because they liked the look or smell of one.

"Things change," Godric shrugged. "I have sired a child when I never intended too. Perhaps I am finally moving with the times, Shahbaz. And I insist you address me as Godric we have known each other too long for you not to do so."

"Times certainly are changing," Shahbaz remarked with a sly smile that seemed to infect even Godric's serious stance.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Special thanks to MsBuffy for the editing on this though I did add a bit after so any lingering mistakes as ever are my own. She has been kind enough to take on the editing of my chapters on all my stories as my work is piling up and this allows me to post as frequently as possible. Saying that, there will unfortunately only be one more chapter on this story till the New Year. It's a combination of holidays, workload and wishing to enjoy my holidays as simply holidays. There will be some stocking stuffers and outtakes but on the multi chapter stories it will be quiet in the latter weeks of December. I hope you will all understand and patiently await what's to come.**

**Next time Eric prepares for his special evening with Sookie…**


	19. Chapter 19 - Us

"_Yeah," I whispered, the disappointment not lost to the others. "If you open up a media file on me, what the people of Bon Temps have described me as you would know."_

"_If you knew what you were looking for," Shahbaz added. "They would know exactly what you are."_

_Silence settled over the possible implications but my thoughts were somewhat elsewhere._

"_I fear for Staci's safety," I shared with concern as we were nearing Bon Temps._

"_How so?" Shahbaz asked curiously._

"_Her mind is getting more difficult to read," I explained. "There is not much room for her to take on any more of their specific mind holds. I worry what will become of her when it does." _

"_They were happy to sacrifice her if that meant taking out André," Godric noted considerably. I had a quick catch-up to do with the status of a Sanguine companion, but I was informed that André would have been severely punished, most likely with death by drinking from me without permission. Staci would have been banished from court and glamoured to not remember a thing but she would be a loose end that would surely be cleaned up in an unsavoury manner officiously. Godric seemed to share my concerns, "Perhaps whoever is addling her mind is already aware of this, grooming the next mark. You must tell me when the time is near; I shall claim Staci as my own."_

"_You are not known for this type of behaviour, Aurelie," Shahbaz spoke carefully. I knew from Pam it was common enough for the Sanguine to claim the pets or companions of the Impurus as their own. Sometimes out of charity for the maltreatment of the pet but more often than not simply because they liked the look or smell of one. _

"_Things change," Godric shrugged. "I have sired a child when I never intended too. Perhaps I am finally moving with the times, Shahbaz. And I insist you address me as Godric we have known each other too long for you not to do so."_

"_Times certainly are changing," Shahbaz remarked with a sly smile that seemed to infect even Godric's serious stance._

**Chapter 19 – Us**

**EPOV**

"Harder!"

"Faster!"

"Now!"

"YES!"

I collapsed on the padded floor in exhaustion after the fourth round. "Have you grossly been over exaggerating your stamina again?" the mocking voice teased, not for the first time this afternoon and most surely not the last. The smile that was held with it was far too familiar, one I had taunted many with as my own, when my appetites were far from satiated for the night.

"No," I croaked out while desperately trying to find my feet again to stand fully erect.

"Come on, big boy, show me what you've got."

I contracted every tired muscle in my body as we took our familiar positions again. I was dripping with sweat, more than ever before. An amused eye watched as it glistened down the exposed expanse of my muscled chest.

"See something you like, _Lover_?" I leered suggestively before launching forward and striking deeply. Despite my impeccable aim, I missed my worthy adversary when it moved away from my grasp with a quicker speed than my own.

"Your _sword_ is quite impressive," the response came with a mirrored look of my own as the eyebrows waggled back provocatively in return.

"Make sure to tell Pam," I returned triumphantly when holding the wiggling body to my chest in a firm grasp marking its rear to indicate exactly of which sword I was speaking.

"No need," the woman herself drawled at which I lowered the other sword which was held precariously close to her maker's neck. "Sookie already told me," she finished with a saucy wink.

"Humlebi," Kristian smiled widely at his progeny and she instantly stood in front of him pecking him on the lips. "Why don't you show young Eric here how it is done?"

"You want me to fight you in vintage Dior?" she asked incensed. "It's Couture!"

"Prove to me you can keep it free of blood and I will buy you twenty more," he returned, grinning widely as soon as Pam's mind was churning out the odds. I hoped she would take on his challenge as it would finally give me some time to recover from the mild injuries that had speckled blood all over my body. I grabbed the ripped pieces of fabric that started off as my t-shirt and soaked away the traces of my wounds and exertion.

Pam's eyes narrowed with discern. "Why do you sweat?" she asked, no doubt offended by the scent that came along with it.

"He always has," Kristian replied for me while pulling her face to his again with the hidden strength of his finely tuned hands. "Now are we duelling or not?"

"Challenge accepted," she returned with an undeniable threat in her tone. Pam proceeded to slip off her intimidatingly high stilettos till Kristian objected with a tone dripping with sex, "Shoes stay on."

It seemed that was the only side of their relationship where Pam acted submissive as her lip quivered slightly with anticipation but a sly smile quickly emerged in its place. I assumed _that_ never lasted long there either. "You just gave me two extra weapons."

He looked at the lethal footwear appreciatively where the stilettos were glistening with gold studs near the tip of the heel, "Valentino, I presume?"

"Yes," she returned in a quick breath before landing her first blow with the back of her dainty elbow knocking the undefeatable Ærø firmly on the floor. Pam caged his body instantly, pinning down his hands on either side. "And you will be buying me twenty more pairs."

"First one to draw blood," he proposed, and the agreement was sealed with collective nods of their heads.

Her momentary victory was short-lived as they were both quickly on their feet again repeating a choreography that was ingrained in the soles of their feet as the metal of their swords clashed in a great cacophony. Pam had the advantage of being light on her feet and her inability to fly properly did not leave her unskilled in momentary speed.

"You still carry your sting, Humlebi," Kristian complimented as they moved in a large circle facing each other off once more. He launched himself towards her and, despite Pam's sidestep his trajectory moved in accordance, knocking her to the floor and flying her sword away. "Give up so easily?" he said smugly when she had regained her sword in an instant.

"Never," she said defiantly, before propelling towards him at great speed once more. It was not unlike how my impeccable aim had completely missed my target, however, proving that Pam really was here to show me how it was done; her course and stance changed in accordance before Kristian could comprehend. She crouched low at great speed sliding into his lower body on the soles of her feet, ripping up the padded floor below her with the tips of her sharp stilettos as if she were the incarnation of the Silver Surfer gliding with ease. She lay firmly on his strong form with her limited weight, but managed to knock both their swords out of grasp in the process.

"Give up?" she asked triumphantly.

"Never!"

His indignation was short-lived as she hungrily kissed the lips it came from. While Pam proved to be a worthy observation in the art of battle I assumed this was why Kristian had suggested I stay and watch. In total stealth and silence her shoe slipped off her foot and into her hand. A happy smile on her maker was mirrored with a fraudulent version of her own when they disengaged, without pause and time to process it happened; the stiletto was lodged firmly into his chest where his heart once beat. Had he been foul-blooded, Pam's outfit would be stained crimson by his remains with that particular movement. Now merely a few drops brimmed to the surface around the metal decoration of her pump.

"I win!" Pam shrieked in excited victory, the high-pitched tones bouncing of the tightly plastered walls were quickly swallowed by the lips of her maker. Fearing I would become a voyeur to what were effectively my family members getting it on I moved to get up, but Kristian commanded I stay, so instead I continued to stare at a particularly uninteresting corner in the opposite direction.

"I do not know if I would consider that an outright win," Kristian remarked darkly, holding up the shoe dripping with his blood from the heel while calling me to attention again. A small huff escaped from Pam's nostril with this technicality as they both looked towards me to settle their dispute.

"I was to keep 'it' free of blood, which was spoken in reference to my vintage Dior," Pam rattled off from her perfect memory. "You acknowledged the shoes as weapons, they are not part of 'it' as much as my sword is."

"You see, Eric," Kristian said with great contentment with Pam sitting astride him while he rested on his elbows. "That stinger behind her lips is a better weapon than any I have given you. Everyone assumes I call her Humlebi because of her fumbling skills in flight, but, in fact, it is in honour of the lethal weapon that is her tongue. Come." With his final command, he patted the upturned floor beside him where I diligently sat beside their intimate pose.

"How would you rule, Eric?" Pam asked with curiosity.

"Twenty new outfits but no shoes," I concluded after weighing both their input.

"Cruel, but fair," Pam pouted with a roll of her eyes. "Like a true Aurelie."

"Fair to you," Kristian mocked while pulling the bottom of her lip down to break up the childish hold of her mouth. "Now let us show Eric what it is to give blood. Drink from me?"

Pam's head needed no nudging as her lips clasped over the point of impact that her stiletto had caused. Her hands shoved aside the punctured fabric with a ferocious rip while she continued to suck down from his chest. I expected them to both be writhing against each other in a dry ecstasy, but instead it was gentle and calm as he nursed her with his hands running through the long tendrils of her hair.

"Our blood listens to our intent," Kristian explained when Pam finally let go of the wound as it had healed in on itself. She lay with a contented smile on his chest while his ministrations continued through her blonde tresses. "This is what my care and responsibility for Pamela looks like, the duty of my charge. Simply project what you wish for the blood to carry and it will find its new host intact."

"Choose carefully," Pam supplemented. "She will have blood dreams of you, whatever intent is encoded in the blood will manifest itself in those dreams. This one had me rubbing up against any vertical surface in dry heat the first time I ever had a sip. He had to drain me to my death to stop it."

"It was not that bad," he admonished with abject denial while placing her small foot back into the former deadly weapon. By now I had taken it as accepted fact that the truth between them would always exist somewhere in the middle while their collective stubbornness would always refuse to recognise either side, so I merely chuckled not giving either of them my overt support.

We were all three quickly back on our feet, the ruined floor now suspending all further training. Kristian and I looked as if we had been through hell in our ripped outfits stained with blood while the victorious reigning Queen looked like she merely stepped in it momentarily. There wasn't even a single hair out of place in her expertly coiffed hair.

"Come on, Viking!" Kristian said good-naturedly while slapping my ass, thwarting me towards the shower room with accelerated speeds. "Clean that barbarian body; no need to cause the poor girl to faint with that scent of yours."

"Asshole," Was the last thing he heard before my impeccable aim _didn't_ fail for the nth time that day and the remnants of my sweat-covered shirt landed firmly on his face with a satisfyingly wet thwack. That was far more satisfying entertainment than seeing Kristian being brought to his knees by Pam. The woman in question enjoyed the sight just as much as I did when she laughed with delight at the agitated face that uncovered once the wet fabric fell to the floor again. Pam, however, failed to remember that her maker's thirst for vengeance was always directed at the co-conspirators first and to the true target last. As I made my quick escape, her face was covered in my delightful scent that was accompanied by shrieks of horror.

I was soon sweating again under both Kristian's scrutiny and the atmosphere of the steam room we were in. He was yet to extract his revenge on me as he had so easily done with Pam. It was part of the torture; the waiting, the constant glances over the shoulder, and, knowing Kristian, he would stretch it out as long as he could, waiting for that exact moment when you almost offered to take your punishment voluntarily only then to strike mercilessly.

"Why aren't you and Pam together?" I decided to ask in an effort to divert the heat that had otherwise been firmly placed on me. Relationships between family members were generally not discouraged and Aelia seemed to voice no objections to their casual relations. There were some Sanguines that disapproved of it between a maker and a child, deeming it a practice of the Impurus akin to human incest, but it was not the majority opinion.

"We were lovers before I turned her," he confessed although it was hardly an admission that needed acknowledging. "I offered her our existence and she agreed instantly though I should have turned her then and there, but I wanted a night with her as a human so we waited. Pam was promising like you in her youth. As soon as Aelia set her eyes on her, I knew that those moments, when she still needed oxygen to sustain her life, would be the only time that she was truly mine. That single night meant more to me than all others I have lived through since." Kristian ran both of his hands over his damp hair smoothing it down as a few drops of perspiration fell to his towel. In comparison, my body and the towel around my waist were soaked thoroughly.

"She will have to make an alliance through marriage at some point," Kristian sighed. "I do not wish to stand in her way. She should have everything she deserves. I will never deny her a thing." He continued to scrutinise my heated body, whether out of mere study or preparations for repairs, I could not say for certain.

"So you let her win," I stated rather than asked. Pam was impressive in her physical skill, but it was indeed her mental aptitude that had her victorious over her maker. He gave a mere shrug in reply that neither denied nor confirmed my statement.

"You were stronger today," he said proudly, changing the tone of our conversation. "Though it appears you have been lax in your training."

"My aim is still good," I returned with a sly tease that he took on in good humour.

"Indeed," he informed me with a pat on my shoulder. "It is the fairy blood. I am curious to see what your blood will do for her. I think it is also why you are sweating like a human, or perhaps a fairy is more accurate."

Kristian was younger than Godric so he had only ever known a time without the Fae just like my maker, but from Pam I had come to understand he had a particular interest in the species. "Aelia says the sharing of the blood is what allows our powers to combine."

"Sookie has a latent spark. I theorise that your blood will awaken it as Godric's line is extremely pure," he continued to speculate as the gears in his mind continuously churned with the possibilities. "The sweating is good. It is cleansing your blood for her, freeing it of any toxins. I can't wait to observe the results."

"We are but a mere science project to you," I laughed while he downed another shot of akvavit. With the sound of satiated thirst he winked in agreement.

"What are your plans?" he asked as the alcohol further loosened the comradery between us. He was a mere two shots away from where it would transform to insults directed in each other's way in defence of our respective birth nations' traditional rivalry, although today I was not keeping up with his copious alcohol consumption. "Pam has already laid out the evening's attire on your bed, I assume."

I tried to hide the chuckle by swiping my hand across my mouth, but it was poorly contained as we both quietly laughed at the dominatrix who dictated both of our respective wardrobes. "Was she always like that?"

"Worse," he smirked but before I could imagine how that was possible, I found myself plunged into an ice cold bath with my head firmly pressed under water for what felt like an eternity but probably lasted no more than a minute. Now, I enjoyed a cool down post sauna like any decent Scandinavian, including an assault of birch branches to get the blood flowing again, but there was a mental preparation that came with that. The sheer shock of it to my muscles and mind had me flailing like a child when my sister Isa had enacted the same torture on me by the lake of our summer cabin.

"I see where she gets it from," I replied when I was finally freed from my hold between sputtering out the remnants of water that had travelled down my windpipe. As I innocently rubbed away at my eyes, a hard smack was directed at my ass while it was doubly impacted with a careful flick of the wrist wielding his towel as a weapon of choice. "Mind your aim." Was the last I heard before he sped off to undoubtedly hide in Pam's secure lair.

I grumbled a little, rubbing at the bare expanse of skin that ran red with the assault. "Fucking asshole."

oOoOoOo

I arrived just in time to see the sun setting over the horizon. Her lake house was easy to find from the sky after she had shown it to me on a map the night before. She had described it as nothing much but it was quintessentially her, humble and seemingly simple, but beyond the white timber façade, there was assuredly a hidden world that the pretty decorative woodwork tried to distract one with as it nestled contentedly in the surrounding woods. The converted carriage house was reminiscent of the farmhouse of her youth, but, despite its modesty in size, it displayed the grandeur of the former plantation estate to that which it once belonged. In a sense, it acknowledged her financial elevation in life without letting go of her roots.

I set the packages I had brought with me by the front porch before heading over to the water's edge where Sookie stood with my maker admiring the sun as it set down the sheet of water that glimmered like a mirror in the last moments of light. Their gazes didn't relent as each had their own homing device to recognise my approach, just as I could recognise the weres and Guards of Anûšiya stationed all around us at a respectable distance.

She looked radiant in a simple white dress while my maker was wearing one of his god-awful hoodies that I suspected he bought just to taunt Pam. I wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her into my body contentedly as I joined them in watching the remnants of the sun.

She didn't jolt in my grasp but sank into the embrace with ease. We both knew exactly what this was. We had both said it the night before. Whatever it was between us, we had yet to find a term, but we knew for certain one thing.

This was right.

This was real.

This was us.

**A/N: I know a lot of you have been impatiently demanding when we get to the first blood exchange already... soon is all I have to say and I hope you enjoyed this anyway. This was the last chapter for this year, it'll be back with all the others in January while some Christmas stories fill up****the space in the meantime so look out for those ;) .**

****Many thanks to the wonderful MsBuffy again for her precious beta skills.** **


	20. Chapter 20 - An Education

_I arrived just in time to see the sun setting over the horizon. Her lakehouse was easy to find from the sky after she had shown it to me on a map the night before. She had described it as nothing much but it was quintessentially her, humble and seemingly simple. Beyond the white timber façade, there was assuredly a hidden world that the pretty decorative woodwork tried to distract one with as it nestled contentedly in the surrounding woods. The converted carriage house was reminiscent of the farmhouse of her youth, but, despite its modesty in size, it displayed the grandeur of the former plantation estate to that which it once belonged. In a sense, it acknowledged her financial elevation in life without letting go of her roots. _

_I set the packages I had brought with me by the front porch before heading over to the water's edge where Sookie stood with my Maker admiring the sun as it set down over the sheet of water glimmering like a mirror in the last moments of light. Their gazes didn't relent as each had their own homing device to recognise my approach, just as I could recognise the Weres and Guards of Anûšiya stationed all around us at a respectable distance._

_She looked radiant in a simple white dress while my Maker was wearing one of his god-awful hoodies that I suspected he bought just to taunt Pam. I wrapped my arms around her waist pulling her into my body contentedly as I joined them in watching the last remnants of the sun. _

_She didn't jolt in my grasp but sank into the embrace with ease. We both knew exactly what this was. We had both said it the night before. Whatever it was between us, we had yet to find a term, but we knew for certain one thing. _

_This was right. _

_This was real. _

_This was us._

**Chapter 20 – An Education**

**GPOV**

The contentment on their faces was perhaps a more beautiful sight than the sun setting before us. There was no need to feel it in the bond but I felt it in abundance nonetheless. I didn't dare call it happiness in fear of jinxing it all. What they had was precious and unique and, in part, I had brought them together. Sookie had called me Cupid that afternoon and though my tush was by no means as soft and rosy as the little boy with wings, I took pride in the part I played of their coming together. I may not have a bow and arrow, but I did contribute with my fangs and life-giving blood.

For all the destruction and taking of lives that I had done in the name of my family, I now knew that I had also stood at the cradle to the creation of this, something so pure and almost innocent not unlike the baby that often portrayed the cherub. Sookie was a worthy partner for my beloved son and he completed something within her that she seemed unable to find with any other. They were lucky; extremely fortunate that their romance had stood the test of time and so far had survived what had been thrown at them.

I had expected Sookie to break down and cry at the reunion with her now demolished farmhouse. Her brother and she were predictably melancholy but they dealt with the loss surprisingly well, perhaps because they had a few days to digest the reality of it all. The only thing that had survived the night was the granite slab that had once marked Eric's former grave. Even in the most scalding fire Sookie's eternal belief in Eric had remained unscathed. With that I dared hope for them, things may come and go, but what rested between them was not easily eradicated.

At Aelia's request, we had walked the grounds of what technically was still mine. I had handed over the keys to Sookie a long time ago but we had yet to sign over the paperwork. We had agreed that she would pay me what it had cost to repurchase her former home, but I insisted on paying for the witch who had made it possible. That was my gift to her, but Sookie wanted to pay for that too despite my objections. Hence the Stackhouse lands were still officially mine as we had yet to reach an agreement on price. It was something I wanted settled as soon as possible because the Aurelie family could soon repossess them from me without cause and, with possible Fae portals on the land that would not be an improbable occurrence.

From what I could tell, Sookie's brother, Jason, did not hold the same latent spark Kristian had identified in her, but, according to Sookie, he had not aged much either. In my old age I had become terrible at judging humans and their ages, but they both looked to be in their mid-twenties when, in fact, they were both on either end of thirty-five, give or take a few years.

The area that Aelia had identified as a possible portal did not react to either of them until they held hands. It swirled to life, but the opening it created was small and slim not large enough to fit any of us through, but not limited enough to impede us to push through the piece of vellum. It had been inscribed with a language I had never come across, but Aelia had informed me it belonged to the Fae. I wished I had the time to fully comprehend it, but I would have to trust Aelia for now that it said exactly what she told me, that she sought to realign our houses, and that other Fae had been crossing into our plane and were doing the same. Aelia had not claimed Sookie and her brother as our own, but we considered them family and would harbour their safety accordingly.

Sookie and her brother had agreed to return the following day to reopen the portal and every day thereafter until we received a message in return. They were both curious of their long-lost family as they had none left beside each other. Their cousin Hadley had died a few years back under suspicious circumstances in Mexico. Sookie had taken a tough stance with her, refusing to help her out financially even when she had abundant means. It wasn't that Sookie didn't want to help her, but it was in the way Hadley had demanded it through blackmail, threatening to help Freyda open up another lawsuit against her if she did not meet her demands.

I was glad to hear my niece had stepped up then and had a talented glamourer discourage any further thoughts in that direction. Unfortunately he had not been able to help her move beyond her addiction. That was a disease of body and mind and, no matter how effective our glamour could be, we only ever had access to the mind, one simply could not halt what the body craved. Sookie confessed she had felt a great deal of guilt as she only discovered after her death that Hadley had been with child, which died with her on that night. She lost her cousin, but Sookie also lost a chance to be a mother to that unborn child or, in the least, an aunt.

I never felt that yearning in my human form, I never wanted a child of mine to suffer the circumstances that had dictated my imprisonment from birth. I suppose that is parental love in a sense, demanding better than what you ever had. It had surged inside me as soon as Eric was reborn, the natural assertion of the responsibility and the care, the knowledge that you would go through hell and back for this creature that was now solely dependent on you.

Though Sookie was officially in our care though her tie to Eric, whether it be physically sealed by blood or not, it had made me consider her as my own flesh and blood. That same sense of responsibility I felt for Eric now extended to her and her brother, despite his limited intelligence. He had more heart than brains but that made him all the more special. Tulla would observe that such a description was one only a parent would make and I had made a note to tell her that. I decided not to question it any further as we departed to Pam's palace leaving Sookie and Eric to the relative privacy of the lakehouse.

Sookie and her brother had fought viciously like only siblings seem capable when Sookie had demanded he exchange the safety of the lakehouse for Pam's home and not his own. Not unlike Pam, Sookie had prayed on his weakness of her pleas that seems intrinsic to females within a family with a strong matriarchal streak. Objections tended to fly out the window with Jason at the possibility of truly upsetting his sister.

"The blood won't harm her, right?" Jason asked of me with relative concern as we sat side by side in the armoured vehicle. Sookie had integrated herself quite effectively with newfound wealth, but her brother seemed an unintentional parody of the Beverly Hillbillies in his appearance. Through Pam's discerning tastes I knew everything that decorated his body had not come at low prices but somehow he had made them seem that way. The sinister part of me revelled in the fact that Pam's discriminating vision would be targeted at the unknowing lamb beside me, rather than the offensive hoodie I was wearing on my body which meant I could salvage my own wardrobe for another day to rouse Pam further. I made another mental note to casually enquire where he acquired his clothes.

"No harm will come to Sookie," I answered to the question he had posed to me before his flashy wardrobe had distracted my train of thought. "It will keep her safe and perhaps unearth more powers."

Jason had taken it surprisingly well when his sister had informed him of their unknown heritage this afternoon. He seemed more concerned with the pecan pie Sookie had promised to bake him than what their shared heritage could mean to them.

"Like superpowers?" Jason asked with a childish glee which made me question if he had packed a pair of action hero pyjamas in his overnight bag. Though I liked to diminish the power we held, to the minds of humans the added powers we did possess were not unlike the ones portrayed in comic books. We may not wear capes when we take to the sky but we fly nonetheless.

"Yes," I answered simply, which had me viewing near every white expanse that rested on the circumference of his eyes.

"Where can I get me some of that ol' blood?" he demanded greedily. I could only chuckle and would make sure to keep him away from Aelia, she might actually be inclined to give him some. He severely lacked his sister's careful consideration of facts, but my mind rested safely to the fact that without the present spark there would probably be little interest in Jason.

"Let us wait and see what happens with Sookie first," I offered in appeasement.

"Yeah," he said and I finally saw the cogs in his rusty brain finally spring to life. "What if she turns into the Hulk or somethin' like that…"

His own mind seemed to be the cause of much destruction as the thought took hold, concern clouding his face once more and though it was touching to see the sibling's concern, I quickly reassured his worries, "Nothing like that, Jason. You are of the Fae, not mutants."

"A'right then," he spoke with some relief before letting out a wolf whistle at the sight of Pam's palatial abode when it came into view at the end of the drive. "Fancy."

"I suppose," I returned. Not that I had become dismissive with the sight of such expressions of overwhelming wealth that typified the extravagant tastes of the Sanguine, it had merely stopped impressing me long ago. The smaller things in life held more poignancy to me than the fading faces of fashions.

"Must be an awful lonely place if Pam lives there all alone," Jason observed with an astuteness that startled me. It was as if he were merely demonstrating those small moments of poignancy that highlighted the moments of my existence with deliberate intention. That no matter how hard one tried to hide the truths someone without preconceived notions recognised a façade exactly for what it was, a pretence that hid malcontent.

Jason slung the tattered Bon Temps football team athletic bag over his shoulder before one of Pam's staff had managed to get to it. I waved them off before he could notice and led him inside.

"Pammikins!" he bellowed out through the cavernous hall. "Where you at, Sweet Cheeks?"

A snicker and a curious glance attached to Kristian came round the corner as he took in the sight of the two of us. "I see you have found Beavis to your Butthead," he remarked dryly in the ancient French tongue of our house. I looked into the large gilt mirror that hung at the end of the hall, and I hated to admit that in my intentionally ill-chosen garbs we did somewhat resemble the duo. So much for youthful appearances...

"Aelia asked you to join them as soon as you arrived," Kristian addressed to me after the necessary introductions had been made. "I can see Jason to his rooms." With a quick nod I sped off hearing the trail end of their conversation.

"Fuck yeah, I'll take Superspeed for $500, Alex," Jason said to my cousin, who in his confusion replied his name was Kristian. "Yeah, yeah, I know. So is Pam seeing anyone right now?"

At the moment, Pamela was seeing to the Impurus, Bill Compton, who was hearing the end of her carefully-crafted speech of his false lineage. He was equally prepared as he held his face in a believable anguish that failed to convince any of us, but would do most.

"This is simply unfair," he said in that heavy accent that was considered gentlemanly in his human days. The heavy tongue fall made it seem all the more dramatic than it truly was, and it was for this quality of the drawl that I suspected was fuelling Pamela's motivation for trading in her proper upper crust one that revealed her noble English blood. "If we do not know who we are, how do we know whom to turn to in times of need?"

Had we not known from Sookie of his manipulations of young Staci, I fear we may have all indulged in the former Civil War veteran's act with a modicum of sympathy. With our preconceived knowledge however, his act was quite transparent and rehearsed, which made the next sentence he dropped into the private study all the more startling.

"Your Majesty, I propose we introduce mandatory testing for all the Impurus to know of their true lineage," he suggested. Silence ensued. It would be suicide for Pam to do just that, the last near-war that had erupted between the Sanguine and the Impurus was for that specific reason. Back then we didn't even have the technology of today to detect lineage with accuracy. The Impurus had been well founded in their objections of profiling and administrating their identities as such. It was not a false assumption that certain Houses might seek out and end bastard lines to consolidate the purity of their power. While our House had been accused of wanting to do exactly that in the negotiations, ironically, we would most likely be one of the few who would have no necessity for that.

Taking our silence as encouragement Compton continued his pitch, "Of course, it must be framed as a desire to come from our kind," he offered with a startle as if the intelligent thought had only occurred to him seconds ago. "If Your Majesty would task me with making inventory of the needs and wishes of the Impurus of your populace, it can be subtly integrated into the results."

I hated to admit it, but the Impurus was clearly a pawn of a far more intelligent and capable being, one that could only be a Sanguine or, perhaps as Sookie had speculated, a Fae. My instincts suspected a combination of the two, but their motives were yet to become clear to us all. A competing House of Sanguine would have little use for encouraging another war against the Impurus. The Great Revelation was a strategic feat for the Houses of Sanguine, but it was also an admittance that our numbers were no longer great enough to fend off an overt attack. Our new offensive became hiding in plain sight while the traditional mechanisations of our power base held us in our gilded seats.

Pamela turned her heads towards Aelia and myself seeking counsel she did not need from us. We were all playing the game of pretence that typified court life; Pamela was firmly in charge here, but it aided to Compton's misconceptions to appear as if the young and, therefore inexperienced, queen sought our guidance at every step. I remained purposefully silent. Centuries of existence had taught me that much, it was always better to say too little than too much, the easiest way to earn respect and get accredited knowledge, whether it resided inside you or not.

"You may initiate your investigations Compton," Pamela commanded. "If there is a _true _desire among your kind for such things I will consider it."

If I had not been certain of the Impurus' missing hand in the strategic game he was playing along in, I would have been certain of it now. He carried the expression of a foot soldier satisfied with his mission completed, readily awaiting the next task. Over a hundred and forty years, and the former man had not risen any further in the ranks, still doing the bidding of others without questioning to his own involvement. It saddened me that he was stuck, where I, in comparison, had moved from the most imprisoned state as a human slave to one of great freedom as a respected Sanguine.

Like Pamela, I could have held a royal seat at the age Mr Compton is now with the backing of my Grand Sire and Aelia. At the time, I would have thought it only in earnings to my lineage which is why I had always continued to refuse. With hindsight, I can attest it would have been my natural aptitude and the intelligence inside me that was fostered in the warm nest that Lucius had created for me. It's what had shaped my reputation ever since as I had never taken up such a coveted rank that often stank of nepotism.

Bill Compton departed from the office with glee written all over his face, which he was not as good at hiding as he himself thought. In his mind an insecure Pamela had instantly agreed to his plans, but a careful listener would have noted that she merely gave assignment to a glorified questionnaire without any further commitments on her part. She had even emphasised the word 'true' pertaining to the results, but Compton clearly had stopped paying attention from the moment Pamela had agreed to parts of his proposal.

"It will be interesting to see what results he phantoms up from his tiny little head," Aelia noted dryly when the Impurus was safely out of hearing range.

"We all know it won't be coming from _his_ mind," I answered. "Pamela, you really must find some Impurus that are worthy to cover positions in your court, or they will all fall prey to the manipulations of others."

"I have tried, Uncle," she offered with a small pout that had me forgiving many transgressions in the past. "They simply do not measure up to the other candidates. The Impurus lack the skills and knowhow."

"The solution is simple then, is it not?" I encouraged hoping she would reach the conclusion before I had to coax it out of her.

"Not tonight, Godric," she pleaded. "I have had to deal with André and his tiresome Maker, after which I had to play nice with that piece of vile that just left while you spent your day frolicking in the sun with little Miss Sunshine. Just tell me your thoughts."

I gave her an indulgent smile, in better circumstances her astute mind would have already reached the conclusions that resided in my mind, but she had a fair point. There was much weighing on her mind and resting on her shoulders, it was no longer time for lessons. "Whatever conclusions Compton brings to you, we all know it will include a demand for more self-governance on their part."

"You wish to grant them this?" Aelia interrupted with disdain. I had become more sympathetic with recent knowledge to her position on our 'inferior' counterparts, but I still could not condone her abject discrimination and I knew Pamela was not as staunch in her view.

"We merely give them the tools and integrate them into the existing system. Once in power, it is too addictive to let go," Pamela answered for me as her mind finally had caught up with mine. "I offer them an education, like the one you gave me."

"Indeed," I beamed proudly at my former charge.

"_You must change your disposition, not your sky_," Aelia said in slight defeat of a well-formed strategy reciting the Latin motto of our family crest.

However, before any of us could contemplate any furthermore, our blood was rushed with an unknown sensation. It had happened in milliseconds and I knew it ran rampant in me, despite the fact that I had subdued the bond with Eric to a bare minimum to leave them to their relative privacy. Even with the security present on Sookie's lands I had wanted to keep an eye on them from afar. I looked towards Aelia for guidance, the only one of us present in the room that could understand the feeling that was overtaking us all, but she looked to me with equal confusion. It was foreign even to her. That was the moment worry made room for anguish.

When fear and helplessness started surging through the bond with my precious Childe I took no precautions, flying out through the French windows, shattering the glass without a care of the damage I would sustain or cause. I was quickly followed by Aelia and Kristian who held Pam and Jason securely to his broad chest, taking no chances. Something had gone awry and though I still had no bow and arrow to convince me of my status as Sookie and Eric's personal Cupid, I would use every weapon at my disposal to protect what I considered mine. There would be no mercy to those that attempted to wipe away at the faces of contentment that I had left behind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: *Hides under bed and holds up this little bitty white flag*… So I hoped you enjoyed this little insight with Godric and his paternal feelings while navigating the politics at the palace and Jason being… well Jason. Next time you'll find out all about what happened with Sookie and Eric promise to cause that unexpected sensation and terror… you hardly missed a thing I swear…**

**Much love ****to the wonderful MsBuffy again for her ****stellar editing skills.**


	21. Chapter 21 - Royalty

_I gave her an indulgent smile, in better circumstances her astute mind would have already reached the conclusions that resided in my mind, but she had a fair point. There was much weighing on her mind and resting on her shoulders, it was no longer time for lessons. "Whatever conclusions Compton brings to you, we all know it will include a demand for more self-governance on their part."_

"_You wish to grant them this?" Aelia interrupted with disdain. I had become more sympathetic with recent knowledge to her position on our 'inferior' counterparts, but I still could not condone her abject discrimination and I knew Pamela was not as staunch in her view._

"_We merely give them the tools and integrate them into the existing system. Once in power, it is too addictive to let go," Pamela answered for me as her mind finally had caught up with mine. "I offer them an education, like the one you gave me." _

"_Indeed," I beamed proudly at my former charge._

"_You must change your disposition, not your sky," Aelia said in slight defeat of a well-formed strategy reciting the Latin motto of our family crest. _

_However, before any of us could contemplate any furthermore, our blood was rushed with an unknown sensation. It had happened in milliseconds and I knew it ran rampant in me, despite the fact that I had subdued the bond with Eric to a bare minimum to leave them to their relative privacy. Even with the security present on Sookie's lands I had wanted to keep an eye on them from afar. I looked towards Aelia for guidance, the only one of us present in the room that could understand the feeling that was overtaking us all, but she looked to me with equal confusion. It was foreign even to her. That was the moment worry made room for anguish._

_When fear and helplessness started surging through the bond with my precious Childe I took no precautions, flying out through the French windows, shattering the glass without a care of the damage I would sustain or cause. I was quickly followed by Aelia and Kristian who held Pam and Jason securely to his broad chest, taking no chances. Something had gone awry and though I still had no bow and arrow to convince me of my status as Sookie and Eric's personal Cupid, I would use every weapon at my disposal to protect what I considered mine. There would be no mercy to those that attempted to wipe away at the faces of contentment that I had left behind._

**Chapter 21 – Royalty **

**SPOV**

I had been nervous all day, it wasn't anxiety, merely a flutter that did back flips in the pit of my stomach that had nowhere to go but torture the lining of my midriff. It had melted away instantly when strong arms had surrounded me; I could recognise his void now with ease while the sun waved us goodbye for another day. Just like Godric, he sported a slight pink hue from the exposure of the UV rays on his skin.

It was happening. The flurries only sought to intensify with that knowledge, but somehow his encompassing hold on me settled it into anticipation.

"Missed you," was whispered for the both of us and I couldn't help but agree. I had enjoyed the independence without him in Godric's company, but he was the man my thoughts had occupied all day. It was a long way to travel my mouth upwards, but we managed to meet in the middle, lips brushing against lips messily as neither one of us could contain the smiles in between. Godric and Jason's not so subtle coughs finally released us of our hold when the sun had long set.

I had only noticed the package on the porch when Eric followed me back to the small house after we had seen an argumentative Jason and an agreeable Godric off. Eric had gotten to it before I managed to bend my knees to pick up the mysterious box living on my porch which had me crossing my fingers that he wasn't like Pam and her presents of abundance. I was sceptic, however, as the package looked decidedly large.

"This is from Pam," he said handing me a neatly gift-wrapped box from the top of the pile inside. Obligingly, I opened it first, revealing the signature velvet box that hinted at her expensive tastes. Instead it contained the cheapest plastic tiara one could buy at a toy store. The accompanying card had probably cost more, her neat script had my snort melt into a touched smile.

_Welcome to the club, Princess. You were always royalty in my book._

_-H.R.H. Pamela Swynford de Beaufort_

Another neatly wrapped velvet box revealed an antique cameo broche and though the intricate ivory carving depicting lilies of the valley were unfamiliar, the craft of it was somehow reminiscent. "Something wrong?" Eric asked me as he was nervously holding onto a crumpled package that looked heavy in his hands.

"No," I replied with a small smile fondling the carving in my hand. "It just reminds me of something but I can't think of what."

"Aelia said it was something that has been in the family for long," he shrugged at me. "Maybe it was on display somewhere. Here, this is from me."

"What's with all the gifts, Eric?" I asked while accepting the awkwardly wrapped and bulky package from his hands. Godric had stood waiting for me with a bouquet of fresh lilies of the valleys that morning which had me joking if we were going to attend a wedding, but he failed to grasp the joke as I displayed the traditional bouquet in front of me. On the way to Bon Temps, he had explained to me how the flower had come to symbolise their House and how he now saw Eric and I as the symbol of the flower and the nightingale in that story, a story that had always filled him with distaste as it was often offered up in an excuse to cull the Impurus from their line. My hand had reached out to his comfort and I had proudly produced another smile on his face. I had thanked him then for keeping Eric around, to me Godric had become the Cupid that kept an 'us' alive and with rosy as his cheeks were from the exposure of the sun, the resemblance to renaissance depictions of the god of love, desire, and affection was not a difficult comparison to make in my eyes.

"Aelia asked me to give this to you, and then Pam couldn't be left behind. But she knows your stance on opulent gifts," he answered, pointing at the chintzy tiara with a smirk.

"And you?" I asked fondling the heavy package in my lap.

"Open it and see," Eric smiled warmly. As soon as I ripped at the crumbled wrapping paper, the heavy hammer inside slid off my lap and onto the couch pillow beside me. I gave him an enquiring look, but he remained silent so I continued to further unwrap the package that held a box of nails. "Did I exaggerate the state of disrepair on this house?" I asked in confusion with the tools in my hands; it wasn't immaculately finished like his former home but that was the charm that I enjoyed about it.

"No," he said triumphantly before pulling out the largest package from the box. It was tall and square and, in contrast to the hammer and nails, seemed professionally wrapped with precision. "They go with these."

"I hate you," I cried out with tears streaming down my face at what was revealed to my eyes one by one. Frame by frame, the sketches of my Gran's house had been delicately inked in over a layer of subtle watercolours picking up the nuances of my childhood. Mounted and covered by flawless glass with simple white frames, they were more beautiful and lifelike than the rough sketches he had left behind quietly on the pillow beside me. Yet they had retained the same spirit that defined the comfort that my former home once brought me. "They're beautiful, thank you."

"You like?" he asked with a self-content smugness that under normal circumstances I would slap from his face. Instead I shook my head fervently from side to side before answering, "Not like. Love, Eric."

I nudged him towards me locking my lips to his, the most effective way I had found so far to wipe any smugness and arrogance off his face. "Love. This." I intoned between breath taking kisses. "Love. You." This time when I moved in for the next kiss, my cheeks were halted in their movement with his encircling hands as his eyes wondered over every expanse of bare skin on my face. His scrutiny did not spare any movement or fine line till he locked his eyes firmly on mine gaging the truth of my words.

"You love me?" he whispered almost in fear of my retraction of carelessly uttered words.

"Yeah." The admission was timid but heartfelt. "Maybe it's too soon or maybe it's ten years too late. I don't know, but you make sense to me, in whatever shape or form. You're the first man I ever wanted to be an 'us' with."

"I'll have to make sure to be the last too, then," Eric answered cockily, his usual confidence returning to the forefront of his charming personality. The kiss I then received was more impressive than all the gifts that surrounded me with their discarded wrappings. It was soul destroying as the slight roughness of his lips brushed against me, teasingly till his tongue precisely traced the rims until it broadly sought urgent entrance into my mouth exploring it like an undiscovered cavern. My tongue found his with ease dancing together in a ritual from time immemorial.

"I love you, too," he whispered thankfully into my ear as I gasped for air from both depravation and sensation. His splayed-out hand cradled the base of my skull while his other hand ran down the back of my spine, sensitising, pulling me in closer. "Remember what you feel for me, remember it all," Eric continued to declare softly while I threatened to drown in the feel of him. "You are going to feel my love for you, remember what is yours so you will know what is mine."

"Ok," I returned, although I barely had the cognizance to realise what I was answering to. I vaguely heard a crunching noise not unlike an animal ripping into flesh before my lips were strained crimson and I was coaxed to swallow. Our gazes refused to part from each other only to be intermittently disturbed by an involuntary blink. Instinct took over as I swallowed down every drop that was offered to me. I recognised the love he felt for me instantly, like an old friend settling in a familiar place. A decade had passed since I first sensed it inside his mind, it was familiar but it had grown to new proportions, shaved of the superficiality. It was overwhelming and exhilarating at the same time to feel his lifeblood coursing through me, jolting me to unexpected highs.

When there was no more to give I crashed onto the soft reclusion of the sofa while the world surrounding me dimmed to minute proportions. I vaguely heard Eric call out for me, but the feel of his love for me was overshadowing every other sensation as my heartbeat rumbled with thunder. I recoiled in pain when I felt his fingers tentatively touch me as the air rushing down my lungs almost felt like a toxin to my innards. It was the best and worst feeling all at the same time. Life and death encompassed as one.

"Stop," I pleaded as I felt his fingers try to reach out for me again. The pain in his face was the last I saw as images started overtaking the reality of what I saw. Light and darkness clashing and fighting each other continually till everything ripped together in two.

The light was blinding as I managed to open my eyes. They quickly closed themselves on instinct with the harsh exposure, and when I dared tentatively pry them open again, the first thing I took in was Eric caging my body, careful not to touch a single inch of me as he growled menacingly at the dark shadows that surrounded us.

"No," I whispered to Eric, my throat hoarse with the sound. "They've come to stand witness. They mean us no harm." I didn't know where the knowledge came from, but it was simply there. Eric finally calmed as my hands reached for his and our fingers interlaced, completing the seeking connection between us.

As I took in my surroundings again, I understood why Eric had been on such high alert, it was only through the instinct in my gut that I recognised them as my kin. They were a menacing sight in their elaborate black armour covering every part of their impressive physiques. Their faces were covered with a half mask just below the eyes while a hood covered their hair. Little glimpses past the black revealed it was the exact same shade of blonde that Jason and I had carried from birth. An identical emblem sat amidst all their chests of a dark nightingale. I recognised it instantly and it awakened my earlier thought from where I recognised the intricate carving of the cameo broche.

The jewellery box that once belonged to my grandmother that now sat idly upstairs housed a pendant of the same make, but instead of the lily of the valley, it featured the same nightingale that sat on the chests of these darkly-clad Fae.

The leader of the group, who I only recognised as such because his nightingale was embellished with golden wings, kneeled before us in a deep bow. Scared he was moving so low to kiss my feet, I gently pulled them behind and out of his reach as Eric tensely held onto me by the waist, seating me firmly in his lap.

"Princess," the Fae spoke reverently with an accent I had yet to hear before.

When he didn't move back onto his feet on his own, I decided to simply imitate Pam as I had briefly seen her do at court. "Please rise," my somewhat shaky voice came out. It would clearly take me some practice to command a room quite like the Queen I emulated.

The mask had slipped down to his chest revealing the face of what could easily be a human's, albeit an extremely beautiful one. He allowed the encompassing hood to drop to his shoulders showing off the golden head of hair that annoyingly shone brighter than my own.

"How did you come in without an invitation?" I questioned wondering if the wards that had been placed on the property were faulty.

"We are kin, Princess," he replied as he stood wide-legged with his hands pulling at the opposite forearm. "We can go wherever the blood allows."

Before I could contemplate that any further Eric suddenly started writhing in pain beside me. "Do not harm him!" I screamed at the sight.

"It is not us," the unidentified Fae shrugged.

"Godric," Eric whispered to me in agony directing his gaze outwards, and through the bay window I saw an infuriated Godric held back by a physical barrier that was invisible to the eye.

"Let them through," I demanded, and thankfully the barrier instantly lifted to the entire Aurelie delegation and my brother as they filled the few empty spaces of the small living room with haste. Jason seemed to be caught in the same daze as I was, but the high speeds at which he had been transported at probably did little to improve his usual state of blissful ignorance.

"Oren," Aelia greeted excitedly to the only unmasked Fae. His careful pose dishevelled promptly with her sighting before he took her in his arms and spun her round in the limited space of the room as if they were children playing in a field.

"You have not changed a thing, fair Aelia," Oren spoke enthusiastically.

"Well, it would not bode well for me if that was the case," she returned teasingly. "You have grown to be quite the man."

"We are not all blessed with eternal youth," he grinned.

"Commander of the troops, I see," Aelia noted as her fingers trailed over the emblem on his chest. "I'm impressed."

"Didn't I always tell you that when I grew up I'd become a mighty and powerful man…"

"And I would marry you," Aelia finished up with a cackle. "Underneath a waterfall with pixies for company. I remember, you could barely walk."

"I did not need to walk to recognise beauty and my future wife," he grinned back with bravado that I gathered few would dare display in Aelia's presence.

"Still a child I see," she returned back with amusement while rubbing his cheek affectionately. "I figured you for one of many to be vying for a future crown."

"Not of royal stock like you, sweet Aelia," he continued their leisurely conversation with the same disregard for the questioning looks that travelled across the room.

"You could have married one," Aelia noted thoughtfully. "I do hope you haven't been waiting millennia on dear old me."

"There are hardly any left to marry," Oren answered with a small sigh. "You have shown great restraint by not bonding with one of the last of our lines. We can now safely take her and the brother to our realm. My grandfather thanks you kindly for alerting us to their presence."

Eric's arms tightened around me instantly and before he could even growl out the 'mine' that I was sure was accompanying the angry fangs that flicked out, I bit into Eric's arm steadying it with one, while my other hand plunged his fangs painfully into the crook of my neck. A mere glance at Pam and she knew exactly what to do. It hurt like a mother but I didn't care, it would harm me far more to be ruthlessly taken away from my surroundings and the first man I ever dared to love. By the way Jason was squirming in Pam's grasp; I knew he was feeling a similar pain with the sudden assault while being forced to down her blood.

"We're not going anywhere," I said defiantly as the blood dripped from my lips onto the worst chosen outfit known to man for a blood bonding ceremony. It was so offensive to Pam's eyes to see the red drippings splatter among the eyelets of the white cotton dress, as if it were a study for a Pollock, that her eyes widened and she forgot to swallow the blood spewing from my brother's neck, and, in the process staining them both.

"If your granddaddy wants to see me, he better get his ass down here because I sure as hell am not going to go see him!" Eric contentedly growled behind me to reassert my threat as I grabbed the cheapest tiara ever sold and placed it firmly atop my head, my own rage at that prospect being further fuelled by his. "I'm the Queen of the FUCKING bayou! He better come down and pay his respects before he decides to kidnap me away from the people I love!"

The sudden brashness had even startled me in the moment, however, it had taken me less than a second to decide my course of actions, if even that, when I captured the fleeting thoughts in Oren's mind. He had pitied me; I would be nothing more than a carrier of future heirs not allowed to settle on a mate till a pregnancy was fully carried through.

"Princess, what have you done?" Oren said, aghast at the sight before him as I personified his derailed mission with spilt blood. "You are the last female of your line; we cannot afford to lose you."

"You never had me," I returned with annoyance that I hope spoke of warning. "So you never lost me."

"We will return," Oren replied stoically with a bow before the group of shadows seemed to dissolve into thin air.

"Pamela," Kristian admonished as the mutual exchange between her and Jason seemed to last longer than necessary, and pain seemed to be transforming into a form of unadulterated pleasure. A moan was emitted before she caught on to her Maker's disapproval, and she quickly released him and set to healing the roughly struck wound.

"Jesus, Pam," my brother sighed out with a hint of annoyance as he desperately tried to hide the wet stain that had erupted in his pants. Having to live with him in close quarters through his over-productive teenage years thankfully left me unfazed at the sight of it. "At least wine and dine a man before you decide to fuck him from behind with your fangs."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: See it wasn't all bad and Sookie acted quickly as did Pam but there might be some consequences... we'll get to those next time, ****the alliance between the Houses of Sanguine and the Houses of the Fae as perhaps you could already tell in the interaction between Aelia and Oren are rather unique**** :-)**

**MsBuffy, editor extraordinaire, was responsible for clearing this of blemishes again, much thanks again!**

**So thoughts? Was I really unnecessarily cruel?**


	22. Chapter 22 - Fucked Up Royally

"_If your granddaddy wants to see me, he better get his ass down here because I sure as hell am not going to go see him!" Eric contentedly growled behind me to reassert my threat as I grabbed the cheapest tiara ever sold and placed it firmly atop my head, my own rage at that prospect being further fuelled by his. "I'm the Queen of the FUCKING bayou! He better come down and pay his respects before he decides to kidnap me away from the people I love!"_

_The sudden brashness had even startled me in the moment, however, it had taken me less than a second to decide my course of actions, if even that, when I captured the fleeting thoughts in Oren's mind. He had pitied me; I would be nothing more than a carrier of future heirs not allowed to settle on a mate till a pregnancy was fully carried through._

"_Princess, what have you done?" Oren said, aghast at the sight before him as I personified his derailed mission with spilt blood. "You are the last female of your line; we cannot afford to lose you."_

"_You never had me," I returned with annoyance that I hope spoke of warning. "So you never lost me."_

"_We will return," Oren replied stoically with a bow before the group of shadows seemed to dissolve into thin air._

"_Pamela," Kristian admonished as the mutual exchange between her and Jason seemed to last longer than necessary, and pain seemed to be transforming into a form of unadulterated pleasure. A moan was emitted before she caught on to her Maker's disapproval, and she quickly released him and set to healing the roughly struck wound._

"_Jesus, Pam," my brother sighed out with a hint of annoyance as he desperately tried to hide the wet stain that had erupted in his pants. Having to live with him in close quarters through his over-productive teenage years thankfully left me unfazed at the sight of it. "At least wine and dine a man before you decide to fuck him from behind with your fangs."_

**Chapter 22 – Fucked Up Royally**

**EPOV**

We all looked towards Aelia to see if we had done well under circumstances or fucked up royally. I was betting on the latter. Her face was impassive to us, stillness reigning in its stead. From Godric all I could feel was pride, but I supposed it was for Sookie who had acted without thought, securing both her and Jason to our House, sticking with the devil she knew. There was a slight trepidation humming through the connection to Sookie, however; there wasn't a hint of regret or remorse to what she had enacted. There was an echo of pain still residing from the sudden thrust of my fangs into her delicate skin. My saliva had healed the wounds but not salved the pain. While everyone else continued their silent standoff, I retreated with Sookie into our personal bubble that was the nearly formed bond spreading the healing coagulant of my blood over the ugliest fang marks I had ever left behind. It wasn't a pretty first for us both, but it was certainly a memorable one.

"Thank you," she whispered when the pain subsided. I could give a fuck about the tension in the room anymore or the reason why they were here, I crashed my lips to hers, heralding us into a world of our own. She writhed up against me in response while the feel of the other's blood finally settled into our nervous veins, our desires strangely in tune.

"Stop," Aelia commanded with a thunderous boom silencing us all again. Reluctantly Sookie and I disengaged any further activities, mercifully so, I was seconds away from ripping the clothes off both our bodies. I set the childish tiara straight on Sookie's head while we shared a secret smile over it. She might consider herself the Queen of the Bayou, but I had always considered her the Queen of my Heart.

"The last of your line," my Grandest Sire directed at the two Stackhouse siblings though it was more an aloud musing than anything else.

"One such as Oren should have married into royalty and had many children," Aelia continued while we awaited her final verdict. He hid it well, but Kristian was the most nervous of us all, unlike me. Pam had no permission to feed her blood to Jason and she had done so openly in front of the Head of our House though the repercussion could be severe; final death. "The last of your line and they did not know of you."

Her impressive stature continued to pace up and down the short length of the room while her eyes settled anywhere but on us before placing herself on the oversized armchair directly across from Sookie and I.

"You did well by our House, Sookie," she finally concluded. "It is imperative that when Prince of the Realm arrives that you demonstrate your immunity to our glamour. _You_ made this decision for you and your brother." Sookie nodded in agreement before her nervous eyes travelled to follow Aelia's gaze that was now looking at her only known blood relative. Aelia moved slowly, creaking the boards of the floor with every intent step. Sookie had described her brother as blissfully oblivious and that description seemed rather accurate in the moment; he was seemingly more concerned with locating the miraculously healed marks on his skin than the powerful being that was heading straight towards him with determination.

"Hey, pretty lady," Jason spoke excitedly, bouncing the brows on his forehead when he finally took notice. Aelia laughed heartily at the adjective; I was certain that thousands of men had wept at her feet for her to take notice of them, worshipping her for the innate beauty she carried with little effort. It was probably the first time in her existence that she had been called 'pretty', the friendlier cousin of gorgeous that had little to do with said worship and adoration. She studied him closely cupping his face in her hands before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Welcome to the family," Aelia finally spoke reverently with a nod.

"Sure, whatever," Jason replied with a small shrug, the gravity of the occasion escaping him as if he was kissed by truly ancient creature on a daily basis, giving Sookie a questioning glance in the process. In turn Kristian and Pam physically relaxed with our Grandest Sire's words of approval and clemency.

"How long do we have?" Sookie asked of Aelia, who reasserted her penetrating gaze towards us again. "I'd like to be more prepared if more of them are coming."

As far as I was concerned their disruptive arrival gave them no right to any of Sookie's hospitality, but I feared the gracious hostess would never die down in her, even when uninvited guests didn't reciprocate the same level of respect.

"It could be minutes or weeks," Aelia returned while she took her seat again. "I'm anticipating sooner rather than later."

"Come on," My hand reached out in offer when sensing Sookie's nerves at expecting a distant relative that she had quite possibly insulted with angered words. No one stopped us when we entered the kitchen and closed the door on them all. Sookie stared blankly, taking inventory of the contents of her fridge while I quickly filled the dishwasher with any spare dishes I could find and initiated the program despite it only being half full.

"Eric?" Sookie questioned with need from the same position where I had left her. I didn't hesitate to scoop her up into my arms and with more speed than I had anticipated landed us in the breakfast nook. She giggled slightly as we bounced with my body's impact on the soft bench. "What do you offer as refreshments to a faery prince?"

"Nothing with lemons," I offered with my limited knowledge while I peppered her worried face with soft kisses. I realised that in our newly found bond I would be more of a slave to her emotions than I ever experienced with my maker as I fervently tried to settle her face into the genteel smile that started our night.

"Pam will probably demand a wardrobe change," she sighed while her fingers traced the crusted blood that had stained the white fabric. "You're ok with this, right?"

"As long as we're together," I whispered into her ear while I held her as if I would be mad for getting exactly what I wanted. "A warning would have been nice though."

"You and me, never simple, remember?" she teased while extracting herself from where I had held her closely to my chest. My fingers ran through the soft tendrils of her hair in an attempt to keep her near but her legs were already reaching for the floor. Sookie leaned in for a kiss resting her forehead against mine in the aftermath while we both dampened down our desires to consummate our newfound bond in the most traditional of ways. Kristian's lessons of lacing my blood with a calculated intent had gone right out the window; love and adoration had instantly been replaced by lust the moment her delicate fae laced blood hit my palate. As a result we were both horny, extremely so, in a house filled with keen supernatural hearing.

"Only your taste in crowns," I replied which brought out a greater smile than I had been pushing for. It was amazing to feel her light emotions that ran alongside it through the bond and into me. Godric had always closely monitored our connection, often shutting me out in the process. Only in rare moments of praise would I be allowed into his side, and it paled in comparison to this live wire I shared with Sookie.

"Look what I found," Pam announced gleefully as she sashayed herself into the kitchen holding up another awful looking tiara and a sash announcing the winner of the Queen of the Bayou 2013. I knew Pam was resourceful but this startled me in its expediency, however; Sookie's overwhelming embarrassment flooding the bond made me realise there was more to it than Pam's efficient lackeys.

"Put that away, Pam," Sookie tried to discourage while running her out of the kitchen with no avail.

"And not relive that particular moment of glory," she grinned, donning the gaudy crown and sash as her own. "That was one of the best nights of my unlife."

"You're embarrassing me in front of Eric," Sookie whispered with a heated hiss, before she managed to hide the framed picture Pam had dug up with the trophies. Sookie was obviously not herself in the photo, drunk or very close to getting there. Heights at our advantage, Pam handed it to me without interference from below and all I could do was grin at the lovely sight. The inhibition in her smile was so disarming I forgot to pay attention when it was easily grasped out of my hands by the outraged owner. Before I could even manage to compliment her on the win and alleviate her embarrassment she had already run up the stairs with a harsh bang of the door.

Pam feigned innocence, but it did little to convince us both before she made a pointed glance up the stairs. "I'll distract the others," she whispered at a low enough volume for just the two of us. She gave a knowing wink before attempting to usher out the small congregation towards the water line of the lake.

I knocked tentatively on the old wood she hid behind, sensing and smelling the tears that were escaping her. It had little to do with the discovery that she had indeed been crowned Queen of the Bayou on a drunken night in a seedy bar. She was completely overwhelmed, and neither she nor I could determine whether my presence was wanted or not.

"Come in," It was a whisper, nothing more, that allowed me entrance into the darkened room. She sat crying in front of a vanity in the faint light wiping away the last of her tears. "How can you be so calm?"

I kissed the bare round of her shoulder softly where the light of the moon reflected and brought out the pieces of her, highlighting the soft contours. "Always am," I answered without much thought. "Always calm in an emergency."

Her gaze in the mirror moved round to find me, her small fingers traced me in the darkness carefully, igniting this newly established thing between us once more, buzzing, humming, pulling.

"I need that," she whispered, her eyes moving swiftly back and forth in their inability to focus on the source of mine in the dark, before hands clutched on the shirt Pam had picked out and pulling my mouth to hers. The bond that was swimming all over the place settled with her back on the small bench she had sat on. My body covered hers on the precarious balance of furniture, her skirts lifted while a thigh settled over me, locking my groin to her core, denim brushing against her brusquely with an excitement I hadn't experienced since my dick first started commanding the preoccupation of my time.

"Fuck."

Then she fucking smiled, pleased and beside herself with the effect she had on me. I had to breathe, pant harshly, my body had no use for the added oxygen but it invaded my senses regardless while strangling the desperate groan of a horny teenager. Her eager hands had to be stilled when she tried to unbuckle me. "Can't. Over in two minutes."

She giggled at my embarrassment, sensing it through the bond which made me take immediate note that Godric better teach me how to shut her out _and _soon. Her amusement only grew when I groaned with her thrust into me, egging me on. "I mean it," was strangled out but even to my ears it wasn't cohesive or convincing.

"Don't care," she whispered, fingers sneaking their way underneath my stalling ones, exposing bare skin to the air. "Two minutes is more than we ever had. Rather have two minutes than nothing at all."

Her blunt teeth nipped at my jaw, coaxing me further out of my protective stance. I let her have her way, like I probably would from this point onwards, prioritising her happiness over mine because that had now come to define my happiness. Not so selfless in the end, I suppose, but that was never a claim I could uphold as mine. Sookie, however; yeah, fucking mine now.

"Didn't quite imagine it like this."

"Thousand thread count sheets, candles everywhere," she snorted, mocking the cliché that admittedly had been the running scenario for this first time in my mind. I'd do everything right, a worshipping tongue that would bring her to countless orgasms before I'd ever contemplate myself and my own desire. When I would finally enter her after she begged me to in desperate need, the heavens would open and we would be complete, striking fangs and blunt teeth would release the blood that formed the bond that now drove us insane. As ever, our plans, good intentions, and whatever else we might kindly ask of bitches named Fate and Chance, had been overwritten by circumstance; reduced to the fumbling and nerves of two minors losing their virginity in a haze of ill co-ordinated moves.

"Bucket of cool champagne in the corner," I added to her painted picture. "Rose petals scattered everywhere. Chocolate covered strawberries, anything else you would like?"

She giggled again, not out of nerves but genuine joy, while deftly releasing me from my denim cage. Fuck, it hurt! It wanted a release and the nearness of unfamiliar hot hands moving with similar desperation weren't helping and I had to move them away again before I spurted all over her, undoubtedly causing her to giggle _again_. There was only so much embarrassment I was willing to endure.

Another breath. Another time unneeded, air was inhaled through the teeth held tensely on my bottom lip. I fell on my haunches in an attempt to gain calm when her excitement had come to assault mine through the bond again. The sight before me was a treat; splayed out tan legs, scrap of lace in between, hands travelled up the undersides of her skirt while I wiggled my jeans further down as her upper body followed with hands in the air coaxing her heating body from the ruined dress.

Despite the darkness I saw it well, the delicate lace that hid the last of her before her breasts sprang free in front of me.

Another painful groan; blood soared through my cock no longer whispering its need, balls tightening in warning. Fuck, it really was going to be over before I ever made it inside.

"Sookie."

More laboured breaths, both of ours, rendered speechless.

"Sookie!" The knock was more incessant now where it had gone unheard by us before. "What's the password on your laptop?"

Thank fuck for Jason Stackhouse! The worst of my need deflated with the male bimbo allowing me to sample the bounty in front of me. I grinned with deep satisfaction when her nipple hit the roof of my mouth with a moan that was far too high-pitched to be mine.

"Sis!"

My tongue swirled on its twin while she ingested the next moan, her nipple happily hardening with the lavishing attention.

"Go away!" she yelled, throwing one of her shoes at the door in warning.

"God damnit! Pam's blood makes me want to buy shoes alright! Give me the fucking password or I'll come in there and noogie it out of you!"

"The same as the alarm!" she screamed out with a strangle, a satisfyingly well-aimed swipe caused her to push my head down further, away from the sensitised breasts so I could explore the soft expanse of her stomach instead with tender kisses. "Capital F! Fuck!" The last word was strangled out and never meant for Jason. By the sounds of his disappearing footsteps were never heard by him while my tongue struck gold through the fabric of her panties. Her body fell back on the narrow bench again, legs hanging limply off either side. Panties were removed leaving her bare where I was still mostly dressed, my cock and ass exposed to the cool air and wanting her borrowed heat now.

"I can't wait any longer," we spoke at the same time and it was less than a second after that I had her pulled down over my kneeling body, my cock imbedded deeply inside alleviating the worst of its pains, and her arms hanging over me in a tight hold where we aligned chest to chest. All rational thought was lost to us both from the moment we started to tentatively move against one another, feeling out the others rhythm, while my hands grazed over every bare expanse of skin it could before settling on the flesh of her ass making their intent known they never wanted to move elsewhere. Unless her tits were offering, my hands had yet to determine a favourite.

"Fuck, you feel good," she moaned while I could barely make out a coherent word, let alone a sentence that voiced my agreement as she alternated needy kisses between blunt bites against my neck. Fuck! She was killing me, and otherwise would surely be the death of me. Never had it felt like this, dead or alive, and I had sampled enough to know. Fuck, this was right.

It was swift, over almost before it started. I managed two minutes with a few seconds to spare. Unworthy of the occasion, but it was as she said more than we had ever had and somehow that satisfied the longing of ages. She was a little tighter than most, I was a little larger. She didn't orgasm. I did. I apologised profusely and she informed me she could care less and our newly formed bond confirmed as much. My pride, however; ensured she got off three times with a torture of fingers, fangs and tongue. Was it the most impressive orgasm I ever had? No, neither one of us cared for we were together now, panting hot breaths of aftermath as one of two hearts tried to find a steady beat while we lay on the creaky wooden floor with a house full of guests below. Judging by Jason's interruption Pam's attempts at distraction were apparently not as successful as I had hoped.

"What are you thinking?" she asked, eyes finding wonder in the direction of the ceiling. "First time I ever wanted to know what happens inside someone's mind and now I can't."

I held her closely, stealing a bit of her warmth and offering her some with my still present clothes, the tips of my fingers tracing every bare swell and valley in an effort to commit it all to memory. What for I wasn't sure, we had just consummated forever as far as I was concerned.

"I love you doesn't seem to cover it anymore."

The sparkle in her eyes found me again, even more alluring with the shade of darkness that surrounded her. Years had gone by and that sparkle pulled me in once more, to something that had nothing to do with the satisfying way my cock had driven into her with a feverish madness, how my hands had held onto everything soft, or where fingertips had gently caressed and teased out the knots that had formed in her hair. She was beautiful in my mind, maybe not always in hers, but it wasn't what had drawn me in. Not then, not now. This openness, unguarded warmth, which was uniquely her. She only grew more beautiful with a smile and when she spoke these words, her voice still raspy from stifling her screams and moans, "It's enough."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks as ever to msbuffy whose basement I will probably be hiding out in during the WTF! storm that I will inevitably cause with this... in my defence I never intended this line to be there**_** "My pride, however; ensured she got off three times with a torture of fingers, fangs and tongue."**_** and nearly killed it in the editing again but I felt bad for Sookie... Eric will make up for that and more I swear... Yes it was fumbly and messy but that suited this storyline, and personified them as a couple; it's never been smooth sailing and despite their careful planning it all goes to crock anyhow. For Sookie it's enough but I bet you all want more... feel free to tell (or yell) at me all about it!**

**Still mad? What about Jason and his urge to obsessively buy shoes... come on I know you enjoyed that ;)**


	23. Chapter 23 - Shame Squeeze

**A/N: The second half of this, titled Squeeze, should be considered an outtake but I didn't want to bother putting it up as a separate story so I have kept it together in one chapter. Enjoy the extra treat ;)**

_It was swift, over almost before it started. I managed two minutes with a few seconds to spare. Unworthy of the occasion, but it was as she said more than we had ever had and somehow that satisfied the longing of ages. She was a little tighter than most, I was a little larger. She didn't orgasm. I did. I apologised profusely and she informed me she could care less and our newly formed bond confirmed as much. My pride, however; ensured she got off three times with a torture of fingers, fangs and tongue. Was it the most impressive orgasm I ever had? No, neither one of us cared for we were together now, panting hot breaths of aftermath as one of two hearts tried to find a steady beat while we lay on the creaky wooden floor with a house full of guests below. Judging by Jason's interruption Pam's attempts at distraction were apparently not as successful as I had hoped._

_"What are you thinking?" she asked, eyes finding wonder in the direction of the ceiling. "First time I ever wanted to know what happens inside someone's mind and now I can't."_

_I held her closely, stealing a bit of her warmth and offering her some with my still present clothes, the tips of my fingers tracing every bare swell and valley in an effort to commit it all to memory. What for I wasn't sure, we had just consummated forever as far as I was concerned. _

_"I love you doesn't seem to cover it anymore."_

_The sparkle in her eyes found me again, even more alluring with the shade of darkness that surrounded her. Years had gone by and that sparkle pulled me in once more, to something that had nothing to do with the satisfying way my cock had driven into her with a feverish madness, how my hands had held onto everything soft, or where fingertips had gently caressed and teased out the knots that had formed in her hair. She was beautiful in my mind, maybe not always in hers, but it wasn't what had drawn me in. Not then, not now. This openness, unguarded warmth, which was uniquely her. She only grew more beautiful with a smile and when she spoke these words, her voice still raspy from stifling her screams and moans, "It's enough."_

**Chapter 23 - Shame**

**SPOV**

"Sis, I'm gonna need an advance on next month."

Eric and his calming influence had worked a little too well when I merely hummed in agreement rather than fighting him on his extravagant spending and moved back to the kitchen, leaving the door ajar, the conversation escaping me in the process.

"Pam, am I seriously going to be lusting after shoes for the rest of my life?" Jason complained without getting much of an answer from her shrug while Eric moulded his body to mine. Every glass in the cupboard was scanned for a spot out of place, the prospect of these long lost kin visiting without a moment's notice causing me to fester with worry that somehow my surroundings didn't measure up.

The conversation continued while we were silent. Eric's gentle and coaxing hands, ones that had delivered more pleasure than I had ever known to be capable, smoothed away at the worry in my shoulders.

"I can't believe you willed your intent of shoes while feeding him your blood," Kristian chuckled for probably the second time that night.

"You try thinking of something appropriate while gorging on faery-laced blood," she huffed petulantly in return before mockingly squeezing her Maker's cheeks. "You know even you come second to my love of shoes."

It struck me as odd that he didn't answer or indulge her like he usually did, simply stood up and moved to the garden instead where he pretended to engage with Shahbaz, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. It went unnoticed by Pam, she had simply diverted her attention to Jason and the purchasing of shoes online.

In the end, three glasses didn't measure up to my exacting standards and while Eric softly continued to kiss my neck to calm I polished profusely at the watermarks till the crystal shone to my content, losing my thoughts to the preoccupation with manual labour while catching Godric's appreciative gaze through the slit of the door. He was smiling again and we had put it there, even Aelia seemed slightly unnerved by its continued presence on his face. _Weird._

A particular stubborn stain continued to annoy me till I sought the bottle of vinegar in a cupboard below, and, forgetting the seamless fit Eric had measured on me, I tumbled instead of making the graceful swoop I intended it to before it came to a crash. Glass fell to pieces on the hard stone floor, not thanks to our diametrically opposed movements, but the white-haired man that had suddenly appeared outside the window above the sink. Any other man and I would have screamed out in fright, but like with the dark shadows that had invaded our evening earlier I knew he was kin and with equal recognition he smiled warmly, placing the palm of his hand on the glass. My hands soon touched his without a thought and current travelled through, despite the thin barrier in between.

We stood there in my kitchen for a long time, what we were doing I was unsure of, but I couldn't help but love the man. Just as I couldn't help but love Eric when my eyes had first fallen upon him though this was distinctly a familial connection, as if my doting father was roaming this earth again. The wondering eyes that had surrounded us, inside and outdoors, had gone unnoticed till the man's eyes moved to take in the sight of a nervous Aelia, who shifted on her feet like a little girl in fear of a reprimand rather than the calm and in charge Alfa of her own House.

I broke the silence, which had only gone interrupted by the distant song of cicadas, with an offer. "Maybe you should come in?"

He nodded, I still didn't know his name, and he leisurely strolled to the back door looking around as if the home was somehow familiar to him. Everyone stood regarding us curiously, the brigade of black clad nightingale's behind him making him with his white hair and suit shine all the more effulgent. We hadn't exchanged a word before I released myself from Eric's tentative hold, and stepped into his embrace finding Jason beside me in the process. For whatever reason, the three of us wept salty tears. He felt like home, like Gran's house had once eased every ache with her loving presence. A piece we never thought to recover was found once more.

"Let me look at you," he whispered seeking out our faces with his palms, smiling with joy as if he just locked his eyes on new born babes. "Blood of my blood. A Prince and a Princess."

The grins on our faces were as large as when we were children in Gran's doting arms, the thought of her only making my heart swell further. There was nothing to stop it from happening, it was involuntary; I loved this man without a choice about it. I couldn't hate him if I tried, up until that point I had. This man who decided my fate within seconds of knowing I was alive. All of it washed away.

"Sit, please," I whispered when I felt Eric's anxiousness invading the moment of comfort and complete contentment. He nodded momentarily before beckoning Aelia to him, tears already running from her otherwise composed face.

"My sweet Aelia, still scaring the mortals with your looks," he grinned while holding her hands in his between them.

She countered a sound that spoke of the opposite, but she really wasn't fooling anyone with the immodest denial. "It has been long, Niall."

"Not too long I hope?"

The sadness on Aelia's face spoke volumes and if one had missed that, the familiarity between them would have given it away. "One is destitute without family," she whispered with a sentiment I felt as my own. "Of course I missed you, dear cousin."

He bathed her with a light I had never witnessed before while she silently wept in his hold. I hadn't noticed till it was there that Eric's hand found mine, as if by instinct, a soothing thumb caressing me to his attention. I startled at the use of the word cousin, wondering if it was like with the Sanguine where blood allies became family or if there was more to it.

"We have missed you too," he grinned while affectionately petting her flawless hair. "It has not been the same."

Aelia shook her head in agreement before sitting down, foregoing the assumed formality and pulling him right along with her acting not unlike siblings. The man I had deduced by now was called Niall, Prince of the Realm of a land or world I never knew about, regarded us with careful scrutiny clearly weighing the words that were to be spoken.

"You did not wish to come home," he spoke evenly, the tone, however, betrayed a minor crack of hurt. It was slight, but I needed to squeeze Eric's hand regardless with the cutting impact of it and, in reassurance, he squeezed back.

"This is our home." It was the best answer I could provide, it was the truth, and somehow that seemed to gain importance in his presence as if he would know instantly of any lie I would dare utter in his presence.

"I suppose it is." His hand fell to his lips, holding back words he truly wanted to speak next, a hard gaze falling on the man, or rather Sanguine, beside me. "He is your home now?"

It was a whisper, volume weighed down by inexplicable guilt with the admission, when I answered plainly, hiding behind lowered lashes, "Yes."

"I see," he replied with that same even tone. "Shame."

Eric's hold around me tightened while I desperately tried to keep it together, a traitorous tear ran down my face regardless. Godric's hand came to caress my knee while Pam gently petted my shoulder. They understood that pain intrinsically and, in turn, I came to understand that pivotal tie a Sanguine felt to its Maker, where a single word could devastate and cut deeper than any physical wound.

"Dear girl," Niall whispered, suddenly kneeling in front of me, holding out the most pristine handkerchief and carefully wiping away the evidence of my single moment of weakness. "I do not disapprove, I simply mourn the possibility of life."

His other hand came to rest against my stomach, and then I understood what he meant, in the heat of anger I hadn't given much thought to Oren's proclamation that I was the last of the line. "You need not mourn," I returned softly, finally finding the courage to look him in the eye again. "There is much possible in the field of science."

"You must tell me about it sometime," he smiled frugally. "If you will allow it."

"Of course."

The smile grew wider and a matching grin appeared on my face. "Let us count the blessing to have found kin at all," he murmured good-naturedly. "If you do not wish to come to me, I shall have to come to you."

"I'd like that," I whispered with a sigh of relief, not quite sure the cause was of his promised return or his approval.

"Aelia, we should discuss," he announced in a sterner voice when he stood with rickety knees, to which the woman in question seemed all too happy to oblige. His tone softened once more while he regarded Jason and I, "I should like to spend some time with you during the day, the night is no longer our friend. You will remain here?"

I nodded and in a repeat of moves he held us tightly to his chest, kissing the crowns of our heads before bidding his goodbye and taking Aelia out with him to walk leisurely in the protected barrier of the yard, discussing whatever truly ancient beings discussed amongst one another.

"You should all go," Eric announced when I couldn't muster up the polite words to say the same.

"Of course," Pam interjected when it appeared Godric was about to protest. "Come along, Jason, we can talk some more shoes in the car."

"See ya tomorrow, Sis," he greeted with a quick peck on the cheek before happily bouncing after Pam and Kristian.

"I am staying to guard the perimeter with Shahbaz," Godric declared with more intent I had ever witnessed come from his mouth. Eric seemed irritated, albeit on my behalf. I was too tired to fight Godric on it, recognising it was more for his peace of mind than ours, so I simply acquiesced for the both of us before Eric could argue.

The house was quiet then, except for the two of us. Minds that I had detected before in the distance had doubled but remained far enough away. Eric held me in his embrace for longer than should be comfortable, humming a song from his childhood. His hand came to rest on my stomach in wonder.

"Science?" he questioned.

"I hope I wasn't too presumptuous," I whispered in return, gathering my courage. His gaze found mine again while his thumb stroked softly over his cheek, wonder written all over his face. "I'd like for us to have children someday, when things settle down."

"When it's safe," he agreed settling an otherwise extensive discussion between us. "Let's get you to bed."

**APOV**

"I always deemed you a brilliant strategist but this surely is your greatest feat," Niall chuckled, my head in his lap while we stared at the plane of water that stretched out in front of us. We always did enjoy watching it ripple languidly, but never would we wet ourselves with it unnecessarily.

My eyes shifted to meet his, while my fingers ran over the cloth whose tactile sensations I had been forced to experience as a memory for so long as the last remnants of it were eaten away by friction and time. "I wish I could claim this as mine, but alas I had nothing to do with it."

He scoffed with disbelief. "You forget I know all your tricks, Aelia. I found the note with instructions for Oren. So many years and that boy still will do anything to please you."

Niall held my cheeks, protruding my pursed lips till the poorly held laugh of my small victory was unleashed. He laughed too then, letting me know all was well. I shrugged, "Instructing him to think the worst was all I did."

He eyed me warily but I had no retort. Even to my ears the tale of Eric and Sookie seemed too good to be true to simply have relied on chance. "Had I known of Sookie and Jason's presence, there is no doubt in my mind that I would have schemed and manipulated for a result like this. To return you to my side there is little I would not have done." In truth the pair had always been far ahead of me, the moment Shahbaz alerted me there was more to Pamela's seemingly human friend I had started to scheme, but found myself lagging behind while the pawns shifted into place without my intervention.

"You never did allow anyone else to play with your toys," he grinned which caused me to revert us both to those tender ages and shove him a little harder than pleasant while he continued to laugh at me.

Niall regarded the stance of the moon, surely estimating the time already spent, letting his tone fall more serious. "So does this Northman understand what he is, that he is not a Sanguine?"

"No," I informed, expressing the warmth I felt for the youngest of my children. "It is probably for the best for now. Times are difficult between us and the impure."

"You mentioned that in your letter," he nodded while his fingers gently swept through the weight of my hair. "With Sookie's intent to stay on this plane we should consider realigning as one again."

"What is there to consider?" My tone was harsher than intended, I never could quite reign in the more volatile of myself around my dear Cousin.

"We have lost so many already." His shoulders sank with discouragement, and through our many ages together I had never seen him this downtrodden.

"We'll lose more without each other," I implored, not willing to give him even a taste of hesitance over a decision that seemed so simple to me. "We have not fared well without one another. History has proven this to me already, why is Oren not married?"

"He no longer ranks," Niall finally admitted after an extended sigh. "The females that are still fertile are few, the standards have changed. The breeding program has reverted to what it was."

"You worked so hard to change that."

"You know what it is to rule, circumstances determine the followed path." I nodded in agreement, the thought that we simply dictated our ideals was a farce believed by too many. Our power has always lain in the ability to adjust, tweaking the details that can be pivotal to success or failure.

"Shame."

"Indeed," he agreed while patting my thigh lightly, motioning for us to get up.

* * *

><p><strong>SPOV - Squeeze<strong>

"Don't squeeze so hard."

"Sorry," he apologised, distancing himself too far from my body. "I sometimes forget the force of my vampire strength."

"It's okay," I whispered pulling him in closer again where he immediately set to kiss my breasts with reverence in a proclamation of repentance for the inadvertent harm caused to them by his eager fingers.

I was exhausted, emotionally and physically, but I had wanted him desperately. Whether it was my desire or his I could not recall, but the moment we entered the bedroom it became clear that the bed was our destination and sleep could wait on us both. I had not allowed him to undress me and had demanded I got to shed him of his clothes instead. It only seemed fair after our quick interlude earlier that night that I got to see him naked for once.

He was a magnificent sight, not that I cared so much about that anymore as much as I had in the past when my eyes had first latched onto him, settling the initial allure. Now it was the least impressive thing about him. Despite that, I wanted to explore that body; the casing that contained the man I loved. The skin while not cool but rather tepid, heating under my touch. He enjoyed the feel of my teeth on his body, groaning particularly loud with a blunt bite. The male nipple, to me an otherwise uninteresting coloured piece of skin, responded like no other.

"Bite a little," he pleaded and I had to hold back a snort in fear of it coming across as mocking of his desperation. I teased with my tongue instead, hands tracing down to graze at the pubic hairs that started to gather in greater concentrations to his most impressive parts. With my hand around it I still couldn't fathom it, thankful that our first encounter had been in the relative dark for it might have shied me away from its size. It was different to what I had known in my limited experience, hiding with a piece of foreskin, and then only startling me more when it came to stand erect so prominently with its unsheathing.

When I did bite down on one nipple after an extended session of taunting, his cock jumped with excitement in my hand, his hips moving in on its own accord. My clothes were soon gone, how and when it happened I couldn't recall, it was swift and my body responded to the sudden gust of cool air on it while Eric brought it to even greater heights with exploring hands, sometimes squeezing a little too hard.

He made up for it, in spades. Descending with glee with his mouth down my body, when it felt my breasts were sore with his appreciation of them, my stomach was treated to his soft lips while hands traced my outer curves in appreciation. I didn't understand his intent until those encompassing hands shifted me down the bed suddenly and I found my legs dangling over his shoulder while he kneeled and paid worship with his tongue. I lost count on the number of times I came from the invasion of that talented tongue, sometimes accompanied by his probing fingers finding points of pleasures I had no knowledge existed inside me. It was becoming too much and, despite my inability to even throw that out in a sentence, let alone a single word he knew through and, like the bastard he could be sometimes, he preened with pride and only upped the ante.

He sucked hard on my clit, nipping the slightest at the overly sensitised glans, his fingers teased up inside me and his other hand firmly pushed down the flat of his palm over the top of my mound, compacting the surge of pleasure throughout my core till it found itself in trembles at the extremities. I hated the descriptions of seeing stars, lights, and all the other inadequate metaphors that seemed unworthy of that experience, but I understood it then and while lost in that high, he struck like no other lover could, teasing the blood out of my thigh with sharp fangs. So gentle and loving, in stark contrast to the sudden assault it had been when I had forced him into my neck out of precaution.

My thoughts fell back to our conversation earlier as he took his nourishment from me, whether feeding something else would be like this. Sex had never been this giving to me and I doubted it had been for Eric either.

"Come back to me," I whispered when his blood healed the exit points of mine. He smiled up before kissing me deeply with pride, he felt he had something to make up for, but if we were keeping score I was sorely lagging behind.

"Gods, the taste of you," he moaned with appreciation into my mouth when we settled up further along the bed. To which taste he was referring to I didn't know, either one made me slightly embarrassed about it, the same way it had whenever Pam would drop a similar hint when it was my time of the month.

"Want you inside of me again." His eyes twinkled when I voiced that desire and by the state of him he had been waiting eagerly for that moment, the purple colouring making his cock almost appear angry at the both of us for leaving him out for so long.

"I'll make it last this time," he promised to my ear. I laughed then, comfortable with the fact he wouldn't be offended. His intent was so serious, in his face and through the bond. I trusted him completely to fulfil that promise and so much more, and I didn't shy away from telling him that moments before the head of his cock started to part my folds. It may have been punishment or gratitude, I was unsure, when instead of entering me he teased my clit with the head causing me to mewl nonsensically as if he were already setting testament to my spoken assumptions.

Eric filled my up like no other, but it was the weight of him that made me so utterly content to have his body surround mine, my hands latching on to his biceps. Then moving inside me, in and out, in a rhythm borne to torment me while I desperately squeezed around him to keep him in, never wanting him to leave me.

"Don't squeeze so hard," he chuckled, causing me to swat his chest but laughing right along with him. He grabbed the injuring hand and placed it on his ass making me wonder why I hadn't thought of venturing there to encourage his movements. It forced my back into an arch, and I strangled out a scream as he hitched further up inside me, his pelvis colliding into my clit with a more powerful thrust.

"You like that," he spoke low from his throat, carrying that self-satisfied grin that only in a weak moment such as this I would confess to liking. His hand held my back in place, in its slightly contorted position, while my splayed out legs moved further up the strength of his thighs, clinging on to him when he started to pump into me shallowly with force and speed, convincing me he was killing me whenever he alternated the direct assault on my clit with a swirl of his hips that stirred my insides. His mouth was on my neck, suckling at the protruding vein, taunting with the promise of a bite that never came.

"UNH!" It was about as elegant I could get in that moment when all my body wanted to do was crawl into his, never wanting this to end.

He laughed.

Again.

Fucking asshole.

The man could fuck though, there was little deniability in that and he was building to something I never experienced before, hitting into hidden depths till it stopped and surged. Releasing me of it all in waves while I clung on to him, the rhythm continuing, easing slightly with the flutter of my insides while I chanted his name in praise. Surely it had to end and he would come inside me but that announcing swelling remained absent, I could barely see him through the sweat soaked strands of my hair that obscured his face above me. It was a miracle I remembered to breathe.

He was still hard when he pulled out of me, while my insides seemed to have settled and fallen to sore. I whimpered at the loss and his pride as expressed through that still triumphantly erect cock, bloomed to the surface. Its evil cousin, the single elevated brow, dared question if I wanted more. Though I didn't think it was possible to sustain more pleasure, I rose to the challenge and initiated one of my own, "Make love to me."

There he was again, vibrating inside of me without the hard determination or the special skills. They had been wonderful and earth shattering but it didn't compare to this, where our eyes had constantly sought each other in frenzy, now they didn't even dare blink for the possibility of losing this connection. The movements were simple, familiar, we kissed softly in between. Rewarding ourselves for opportunities lost that would never have resulted in this. This perfection that settled us and brought us in tune, and it lasted for as long as we cared it to, words unnecessary to experience it all. He spilled and I received.

It was simple. I loved him. He loved me.

We were an us now.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Special thanks to msbuffy for all the great editing she always provides.**

**So lots of stuff is happening and I'll be blunt: ask away on Eric but don't think you'll be getting an answer. So did we like Niall or is the hesitance around Aelia starting up again... speculation, random conspiracy theories and comments all welcome. Oh and be sure to compliment Eric, he had some making up to do and wouldn't leave me alone about it and his reputation was restored ;).**


	24. Chapter 24 - Fright

_"UNH!" It was about as elegant I could get in that moment when all my body wanted to do was crawl into his, never wanting this to end. _

_He laughed. _

_Again. _

_Fucking asshole. _

_The man could fuck though, there was little deniability in that and he was building to something I never experienced before, hitting into hidden depths till it stopped and surged. Releasing me of it all in waves while I clung on to him, the rhythm continuing, easing slightly with the flutter of my insides while I chanted his name in praise. Surely it had to end and he would come inside me but that announcing swelling remained absent, I could barely see him through the sweat soaked strands of my hair that obscured his face above me. It was a miracle I remembered to breathe. _

_He was still hard when he pulled out of me, while my insides seemed to have settled and fallen to sore. I whimpered at the loss and his pride as expressed through that still triumphantly erect cock, bloomed to the surface. Its evil cousin, the single elevated brow, dared question if I wanted more. Though I didn't think it was possible to sustain more pleasure, I rose to the challenge and initiated one of my own, "Make love to me." _

_There he was again, vibrating inside of me without the hard determination or the special skills. They had been wonderful and earth shattering but it didn't compare to this, where our eyes had constantly sought each other in frenzy, now they didn't even dare blink for the possibility of losing this connection. The movements were simple, familiar, we kissed softly in between. Rewarding ourselves for opportunities lost that would never have resulted in this. This perfection that settled us and brought us in tune, and it lasted for as long as we cared it to, words unnecessary to experience it all. He spilled and I received. _

_It was simple. I loved him. He loved me. _

_We were an us now. _

**Chapter 24 - Fright**

**EPOV**

I never wanted to smoke a cigarette, in fact I hated the sight and smell of them, but after that I came to understand the desire in the aftermath of such occasion, to simply mark it with a punctuation. I was done, happy, content. There was simply was nothing left to add. I'd had sex often enough, as man and as vampire, to know _that _was something different. I lacked the words to describe it, I had always written off the words 'making love' to the prudes who were too scared to taste the word 'fuck' in their mouth, but begrudgingly it was the closest I could get in describing _that_.

Old habits, however, continued to die hard when I uselessly stared at the porcelain bowl of Sookie's toilet with my limp dick in hand. I don't know where the liquids and solids that weren't blood I ingested seemingly evaporated, and even Godric didn't have an answer, but in a rare sleepy haze my body fooled me into believing I still urinated. I looked dopey, a satisfied grin looking back at me when I took in the reflection of myself in the vanity mirror while washing my hands. It was an embarrassing sight, since I was alone I indulged in it. Eric Northman in love, it was a rare thing indeed.

When I sidled back into the warmth of the bed beside her, where even her soft snores appealed to me, I reached for my phone. Photographing us both, my steady vampiric hands allowing a crisp photo despite the lack of light. It was reminiscent of the sketch I had sent her once, after my return when I was hoping to get her to understand the depth of my yearning for her. The composition wasn't as striking, but this captured the weight of us and without much thought I shared it with the person who would appreciate seeing it most. Thankfully the picture was chaste enough and revealed little but my head resting contentedly with hers. I had, however, neglected to remember the girl in question I sent it to lived in a different time zone, hours ahead of ours, causing a teeny bop ringtone she had installed on my phone to thunder loudly into the room. _Fucking Taylor Swift._

Sookie's eyes fluttered open and I implored her to continue to sleep, and thankfully she did while Louvelle excitedly squealed on the other end of the line while uttering haphazard French phrases that made little sense at the rapidity in which they were expelled. I found a quiet spot on the landing, a seat at a bay window that overlooked the lake where in the distance I could spot my Maker watching carefully with a menacing stare as the dawn approached on the horizon. I beckoned him, he hesitated, but neared regardless.

"When are you going to marry her?" Louvelle interjected as the only coherent thing I could respond to between her babbles of our true love after I regaled a PG-13 version of the events that occurred over these past few days.

"When things settle."

In truth I hadn't given it much thought, my interactions with Sookie always having been overshadowed by a fear that the expectations of us would never measure up to the reality; awkward and its annoying cousins always lurking in the background with their threatening presence. Added to that, the success of my first marriage did little to implore the sanctity of it with me, but I had failed to consider Sookie's desires on the subject.

"I will be a bridesmaid," the little wolf announced, leaving little room for arguments. "Or a flower girl. No! Both!"

"Of course," was the only suitable answer I could think of. I was high on my Sookie afterglow, dangerously so, I would have probably agreed to anything Louvelle had asked in that moment.

"Remember, Eric," she spoke sternly in that French lisp of hers that made my name sound like another's. "We see well only with the heart."

"_On ne voit bien qu'avec le coeur_," I repeated back from the book I had read to her many times at night. Only now did I come to understand the depth of those words in a book meant for children that gave insight into the world of adults. "Goodnight, little wolf."

She growled, muttering that it was day and that she was no longer little, but it was how I had always greeted her when reading her those books. Reluctantly she carried on with her day while I slipped into jeans and made my way downstairs to greet my Maker who had taken cautious residence on the porch below.

"Come in," I urged, knowing Sookie would not take too kindly for him to be stalking any twig that moved in an assessment of danger outside when there was an offer of hospitality indoors. He, however, seemed more at ease outdoors than in.

"You gave me a great fright," he confessed softly while I prepared us both a heated blood. He only hesitated momentarily before agreeing to the Royalty Blended in favour of the True Blood I knew he preferred on his conscious. I hid the small smile I carried in triumph over him, pleased that he was sustaining himself on something more nourishing and favouring my tastes. Perhaps he was just indulging me due to the simple fact that his worst fears had not come to be, in any case I would take the opportunity as it came.

I apologised for the fright caused in my Maker when setting down the warmed drink before him. His hand clasped over mine, pained eyes looking up holding me close to him in a way he could never express with words. "It was not your fault," he whispered. "I can't help but feel responsible if something were to happen to you or young Sookie. Happiness such as yours should not be tainted."

I nodded in understanding; we were a burden he wished to carry where he derived some happiness of his own in the process by providing that care. My bare back barely hit the hardwood of the chair when I felt a similar feeling of responsibility as Sookie's sudden state of panic surged through the bond into me. She was halfway down the stairs, partially dressed, and calling out my name when we collided.

"We have to go," she urged, thrusting my shirt and shoes at me. "The hospital, Staci is hysterical and hurt. Bill."

She forgot to breathe and nearly fainted while I held her up, urging her to calm. "He's dead," she finally finished after taking in a few extended breaths.

"Sorry," I offered out of habit, though neither of us would really care for the loss of his life except that it cut the connection to a well of information that we had yet to delve into.

"Where?" Godric demanded while I did my best to dress as quickly as able.

"Shreveport General," Sookie answered with a startle, not having noticed my Maker until the moment he spoke. He was gone in seconds, taking flight in direction of the hospital. We headed for the car assured with the knowledge Godric would secure her where Sookie was hesitant to fly there in my arms.

"It'll be okay," I assured while reaching out to pet her thigh. She smiled weakly, I don't know what it was that had her so connected to the girl, but there was something touching about her care for a relative stranger.

"I could have been her," she whispered aloud, answering the question that just passed through my mind. I regarded her carefully, wondering if she had an insight with her telepathy since exchanging blood. She didn't flinch or betray a thing when I thought the most horrible thought I could imagine, dismembering her brother limb from limb. "He tried to glamour me once, it's how I found out I was immune."

My hand tightened on her thigh, "What did he want?"

"A date; seemed innocent then, not so much now. His continued insistence scared me." Her hand threaded through my grip on her loosening the hold and while we waited on a deserted crossroad for a light to turn green, I pecked the back of her hand softly, only then noticing the travelling tear. We missed the light as all I could think to do was kiss it away, hoping to kill the sadness inside her.

A car honked behind us, and since we hadn't come across another vehicle on our entire journey we must have been lost to time longer than we thought. A quick glance in the mirror and the realisation hit that it was our security detail. That bastard Shahbaz was grinning before blowing an air kiss my way. I accelerated hard, pushing the sports car to its limits to make up for whatever time we lost till we stood waiting outside the gates of Pam's palace. Sookie regarded me with confusion, the hospital being some way away.

"Godric's here," I explained perhaps a little too late. My mind was too preoccupied with the thought of never having repeatedly staked Bill Compton to death when I had the chance.

"Staci?"

"Don't think he'd leave her there," I offered in explanation to which she nodded in understanding. The security measures were more stringent than ever before, and Sookie's impatience outweighed my insistence to stay in the car till it was done. She ran for the palace as soon as able while I waited till every part on my car was inspected by a set of mirrors and a keenly smelling set of Weres. At a distance I felt Sookie's spirit drop, and mine fell right along with hers when I entered the room where Staci was nothing more than a puddle on the floor.

"We took it too far," Sookie whispered while staring into Staci's vacant eyes. It was just the shell of her, mind lost to somewhere else. "I'm a horrible person."

"No!" It came out so harshly because I refused to even entertain the idea while I held her up when she threatened to crumble under the guilt. "This is not your fault."

The girl clutched onto my Maker like an injured bird, broken probably was more accurate, whispering jumbled sets of words that made little sense. 'Bill dead.' was the only one she repeated more than once.

A hesitant knock on the door caught our attention, I had expected Pam to show up at any moment, but the tentative approach had us all guessing who would appear from behind the heavy set of double doors.

"Tulla?" my Maker whispered to the woman who had sired him, his tone filled with awe while she regarded him with kind eyes. She appeared ancient, more so than Aelia when I knew she to be younger with none of the pretence of the Sanguine, gliding into the room with a billowing loose skirt of simple cotton.

"I had a feeling I would be needed soon," she smiled, regarding the girl in his arms. "I see I arrived just in time." She bent in closely, brushing away the hairs on Staci's sweaty forehead, and, miraculously, she calmed in her mere presence. "Why don't you rest now?" she whispered suggestively, but it was followed like a command. She kissed Godric softly on the lips, another command was spoken without a hint of force. "You will stay with her so I can finally meet my grandson and his intended."

"We're not engaged," Sookie offered in correction, causing Tulla to titter with delight.

"I wasn't talking about engagements, my dear," she spoke with amusement while taking Sookie in one arm and me in the other. "It is only a matter of time."

Sookie and I exchanged glances of equal confusion, but followed her out of the sumptuous guest room regardless after an encouraging nod from Godric. "Where might one find a drink? I am parched!"

We were startled by the sounds of crashing crystal just outside Pam's private quarters that held the most impressive of her drinks collection, which had me wonder if Faeries had shown up unexpectedly there, too. Pam's voice was hoarse, most likely not the first time she yelled that night as it turned into day. "Run away from me as you always do!"

"I'm not running away!" Kristian roared back.

"I see little has changed with you two," Tulla interjected with a wry smile causing them both to restrain their seething and find their composure effortlessly.

"Tulla," Kristian responded warmly while kissing the ring on her hand when it left my arm and was presented as such. "There was no notice of your travels. How did you charter the jet without my knowledge?"

She snorted, patting him on the head like a small child. "I travelled coach, Kristian," she tittered. "You should try it some time. It's marvellous, everyone keeps to themselves."

"This is not the time to be disregarding your safety," he spoke sternly.

Tulla shrugged in response, "I have lived long enough, if I die, I die."

"You have strange instincts for an immortal being," Kristian chuckled with a shake of his head.

"Ever consider maybe I have the right ones, while you all foolishly hang on for little purpose."

"You may have a point."

"I always do," she said slyly before beckoning Pam to her, "My little niece, come here."

"I'm surprised they let you in looking the way you do," she spoke with mock disdain as if the simplicity of her white cotton dress held up like a sheet by a few pins equated a burlap sack.

"Me too," she laughed while embracing Pam. "I was certain you selected your guard on their tastes in draped cloth."

"You know I really should," the reigning Queen of impeccable taste grinned. "Perhaps that would be the answer to all my problems." A sharp glance was cast her Maker's way who did his best to ignore it.

"So did you two leave me anything to drink behind?" Tulla mused aloud while stepping her bare feet around the shattered pieces.

"I'll have one of the servants-" Pam offered before Tulla held up her hand.

"Please don't, I have legs, I have limbs. There is no need."

Pam nodded and, in a very uncharacteristic move, we witnessed the Queen herself sweep up the evidence of glistening glass from their spat. Sookie and I sat down across from Kristian who had yet to settle the restless energy as easily as Pam demonstrated; she all but swept it underneath one of her pricey silk rugs with the shards of glass.

"Perhaps you should ask Sophie Anne to come and stay again," Sookie spoke conversationally when Pam seated herself beside Kristian with as much distance between them as the piece of furniture allowed. Pam's discerning brow lifted in question till it eased, and it seemed they were speaking in shorthand that only the two of them were proficient in as I and her Maker remained completely oblivious to the veiled speak between them.

"Of course, it was such a delight having them here. I'll send out invitations instantly."

"She won't want to come alone, I'm sure," Sookie replied with a plastered-on smile.

"Of course," Pam agreed knowingly and I held my temper for not being in the know between those two. I feared I'd become the butt of their joke at some point with disastrous consequences to my ego.

Tulla sat down a tray of drinks, obviously forgetting the time of day for Sookie with her choice of hard liquors and bloods. My filled tumbler sat untouched in solidarity beside hers while Tulla probed and investigated our path to each other. Again, Sookie was frugal in her replies and would only sometimes interject, whereas I was more elaborate as I simply wanted to fill in the blanks where Godric had been painfully silent towards his own Maker. Tulla regarded us with avid interest while Pam would run interference along with Sookie, keeping the details of us sparse.

"You should get back to Bon Temps," the Queen herself announced out of the blue startling me with its suddenness, but I had become remiss in remembering Niall would expect Sookie to be there in the day.

Deciding to play along to whatever game they were participating in, I answered, "Of course," before bidding my Grandsire goodbye with a promise to talk more soon. We checked in on Godric who regrettably let us go without his continued supervision in favour of his latest charge.

"What was that about?" I asked when we were afforded the privacy of our car. Sookie pretended to be asleep, the reason only confusing me more. I put my frustration with the lack of answers into the accelerator pedal of the car, not caring that the security detail was lagging behind. Only when we were nearing the exit of the highway near Sookie's home did she decide to speak.

"How well do you know Tulla?"

I regarded her carefully, where she carried that studious face of hers that wasn't unlike that of my Maker's when he wanted me to understand something by deducing it from the information placed in front of me.

"She's the black sheep of the family," I explained. "Her Maker favoured Godric over her, but she does not seem to mind."

"She's different," Sookie spoke carefully, not hinting at anything more and I lacked words to add to that.

"What was it like?" I asked after letting my mind wander over the events of the early morning that would pull this caution from Sookie before clarifying, "Staci's mind."

I remembered the muddled state of my amnesia and Sookie had known it through another, her generous spirit had cried for me then, that my Maker had encouraged me to continue to forget and I dreaded to think an innocent girl was stuck in that forever. Perhaps that was why Godric had taken such an avid interest in her care, to atone for what he had gotten wrong with me.

"Hollow," she whispered while staring at the sky devoid of clouds through the side window, her breath causing condensation on the glass before her eyes came to briefly meet mine. "All she remembers is the love and worship she felt for Bill, and how he was ripped to shreds."

"I'm sorry you had to witness that," I could feel the pain it caused inside and sought to comfort her, but she rejected it, feeling it valid to feel sadness over such thoughts. She was right in that sense, not all the pain could simply magically be erased away because we willed it so. "Do you at least know who it was?"

She held her lips tightly, draining them of their natural pink flush, before answering succinctly, "Andre."

A feeling of dread settled over us both as I slowly came to understand, shedding new light on her veiled conversation with Pam that encouraged the invite to the Impurus and his Sanguine Maker. Her next spoken words, however, sent a chill down my spine and for the first time since turning vampire, I shivered with that coldness while her deduction settled in my mind and connected the loose dots. Tulla's outsider status, the unaccompanied flights making her permanent whereabouts unknown, the opportune timing of her arrival, and the strangely effective way she brought Staci to calm without a hint of glamour. Sookie voiced the words as they entered my mind, "What if it's her, Eric?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Special thanks to msbuffy as ever for her continued dedication to all the editing she does for me.**

**Right you know where to find me in my usual spot of hiding… Sorry, you were probably liking Tulla, I even made her a banner below, anyhow fun times ahead in the Aurelie household. Let me know thoughts and stuff… oh yeah, Bill died...**


	25. Chapter 25 - Reunion

_"How well do you know Tulla?"_

_I regarded her carefully, where she carried that studious face of hers that wasn't unlike that of my Maker's when he wanted me to understand something by deducing it from the information placed in front of me._

_"She's the black sheep of the family," I explained. "Her Maker favoured Godric over her, but she does not seem to mind."_

_"She's different," Sookie spoke carefully, not hinting at anything more and I lacked words to add to that._

_"What was it like?" I asked after letting my mind wander over the events of the early morning that would pull this caution from Sookie before clarifying, "Staci's mind."_

_I remembered the muddled state of my amnesia and Sookie had known it through another, her generous spirit had cried for me then, that my Maker had encouraged me to continue to forget and I dreaded to think an innocent girl was stuck in that forever. Perhaps that was why Godric had taken such an avid interest in her care, to atone for what he had gotten wrong with me._

_"Hollow," she whispered while staring at the sky devoid of clouds through the side window, her breath causing condensation on the glass before her eyes came to briefly meet mine. "All she remembers is the love and worship she felt for Bill, and how he was ripped to shreds."_

_"I'm sorry you had to witness that," I could feel the pain it caused inside and sought to comfort her, but she rejected it, feeling it valid to feel sadness over such thoughts. She was right in that sense, not all the pain could simply magically be erased away because we willed it so. "Do you at least know who it was?"_

_She held her lips tightly, draining them of their natural pink flush, before answering succinctly, "Andre."_

_A feeling of dread settled over us both as I slowly came to understand, shedding new light on her veiled conversation with Pam that encouraged the invite to the Impurus and his Sanguine Maker. Her next spoken words, however, sent a chill down my spine and for the first time since turning vampire, I shivered with that coldness while her deduction settled in my mind and connected the loose dots. Tulla's outsider status, the unaccompanied flights making her permanent whereabouts unknown, the opportune timing of her arrival, and the strangely effective way she brought Staci to calm without a hint of glamour. Sookie voiced the words as they entered my mind, "What if it's her, Eric?"_

**Chapter 25 - Reunion**

**GPOV**

It had been quite some time since I last held bare feminine flesh under my fingertips. We had to be quiet just as we had been the first time it occurred and the many times after that. The whiff of shame still surrounded it even though it should never have been there, my hands could never help themselves around her either. Yearning for her touch, but eventually it was that which took her away from me.

"We should have done this much sooner," she whispered while caressing the small and faint hairs on my fingers.

"We really should have," I chuckled in agreement, kissing the top of her spine. I was hard again and that only reinforced that statement while it probed into the soft crease of her behind. "Turn around."

"What if I don't feel like moving," she teased.

"Suit yourself," I grinned entering her from behind instead, flipping her on all fours in the process, she responded to that position like no other, and I would be remiss in denying that I particularly enjoyed the vantage point and sensation it caused to have her at my mercy like that.

The door shifted open in front of us and we were caught by wide eyes of innocence, reverting us back to the time that first happened and ended between us. Unlike our Lucius, embarrassment overtook Staci, and caused her to flee. She didn't pull up a chair to observe us either, or pull out a cock to stroke at languidly after telling us to continue. The fear, however, had remained that Tulla would be sent away again the moment I woke from my rest to a Sanguine finishing school while our shared 'Maker' concentrated solely on my rearing, never to speak of the incident again.

"Don't stop," They were Lucius' exact words, now spoken by Tulla, and I followed the command just as I had then. Forgetting Staci and her wide stare as she had chanced upon us, despite the quiet between us, we had become oblivious to what surrounded us. A knock must have echoed around the room but went unheard by us.

Tulla had said I looked tired, and wanted to care for me, bathe me like she had when she first turned me. This time I couldn't resist when the washcloth moved over my cock and when was washed clean I pulled her on top of it, eliminating the weight of water between us, kissing her deeply like I hadn't in a long time.

She hummed in agreement when we were spent and I suggested I seek out Staci. It wasn't love between Tulla and I, certainly not like Sookie and Eric's. Nor the cackling chemistry that bordered on that fine line between love and hatred as with Pam and Kristian. Companions was probably the best word I could find to describe it, we understood each other like no other ever could because we had lived our beginnings as one. This reunion settled something raw in our souls, if one chose to believe we actually had those. For the longest time I was convinced we didn't, but this had settled it for me. It was _his _shame, not ours, that had separated us then and there was a certain liberty that came with that realisation.

"What made you act now?" Tulla whispered while helping me into a robe, fastening the tie around my waist before planting a soft kiss to the bare patch of skin on my chest.

"Perhaps the question should be, why didn't I act before?" I countered before pulling her face to mine, lips locking with a contented sigh.

"I'll never get an answer, will I?" she smirked while swatting my butt in the direction of the door and I couldn't help but laugh while making my exit. Staci wasn't a hard girl to find, she had been too lost in her mind to give the exit codes to my quarters the night before, and while the accommodations Pam had offered me were vast, my keen nose found her location in seconds.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," she instantly apologised when the doe-eyed girl became aware of my presence.

"It is I who should apologise," I offered with a small smile, pulling her chin up in the hopes she would dare look me in the eye again. "You're under my care, I should have thought better of it."

"Am I yours now?" she asked in a whisper.

I let out a sigh. The 'yours, mine, ours' conversation was not an easy one to have. Simplicity seemed best in cases like these. "Yes, for as long as we deem it necessary for your safety. You seem better."

"I feel better," she returned with a small smile. It scared me slightly that the upswing in her mood had come only when I declared her mine as if a different person emerged in front of me. I checked the wounds on her neck where she had been viciously ripped into by feral fangs. My blood had healed her up nicely and the trauma that made her less than cohesive luckily seemed to be lessening. The hospital attendants had no knowledge to offer except that she was found in a house stained with blood wailing till a man walking his dog in the early morning had heard the noise. Sookie, in turn, could find no memory of it in her mind.

"Godric?" Staci spoke softly while caressing my forearm moments before I made to move and throw away the coverings of her wounds. "I had a dream about you."

"So you did," I offered with a smile, not wanting to frighten her, while stroking the new skin that had grown over her former injury. No scar would remind her of the horror, her mind was another thing entirely. When I made to move again, her hand held mine in place, pleading me to stay near. "I want you to kiss me, Godric."

"No, you don't," I smiled, knowing the workings of our healing blood all too well and putting much needed distance between us, perhaps being so out of practice with that particular gesture gave the wrong impression, so instead I reverted back to the tight stance my lips usually carried.

"Is it because of _her_?" Staci spoke with a quiet outrage, hurt brimming to the surface, while finding her feet faster than I thought possible, which had her clinging to me while desperately grabbing at the sash that bound my robe closed. "It's okay, I don't mind. You can have us both!"

"Stop," I ordered and took much needed steps away from her, Staci's hold on my robe's tie, however, caused it to unfurl, exposing my naked body to her while I watched her eyes go wide with lust. Her determination superseded my surprise and I instantly covered myself, there was no echo in the desire I had felt moments ago with Tulla, but the words, nor the stance of my body, seemed to deter Staci. Her hands grabbed at me, trying to expose me to her once more while I desperately tried to reign in my anger and the resulting force of strength that instinct would have me fighting the clearly confused girl. I didn't want to hurt her.

"STOP!"

Thankfully she did, though it wasn't through my command, rather that of Tulla's.

"Now, pet," she spoke softly. "Leave him alone."

Staci nodded and retreated to a corner of the room sobbing into her upturned knees. Tulla picked up the tie from the floor and fastened it around me once more before looking with a pain that was mirrored in my own eyes at the sight of the broken girl. Our voices fell to whispers of ancient Latin, her state of mind our primary concern.

"I don't know why I do this," Staci offered while hiding behind a curtain of hair when she dared look in our direction again. "I don't know who I am anymore."

"Shh," Tulla spoke warmly taking the girl in her embrace. "You're doing very well."

**SPOV**

_The Lake House, near Bon Temps_

"Godric would like to see us when we're done."

I looked up, startled to find Eric standing there as my eyes had only been searching for a shimmer to appear, for my great-grandfather to be here again.

"Of course."

My eyes continued to stare out the kitchen window where he had first appeared, desperate to be in his presence again. I hadn't been this preoccupied with yearning since Eric disappeared from my life, and in some parts it scared me that I was so insistent on feeling that so strongly when I had him by my side now. I was beginning to understand Aelia's dislike of the Impure too now, where I would have once described it as discrimination, now they were to be held responsible for their actions that had stolen this connection away from me my entire life and that was considerably shorter than Aelia's existence without it.

"There are developments with Staci," Eric elaborated, but I still didn't reply with more than an agreeable hum. "Sookie?"

"I heard you!" I snapped, my neck moving just as aggressively while looking back at him. I expected him to distance himself from my harsh stance, but instead he moved behind me where I sat on the countertop with my feet in the deep sink staring out of the window.

"He'll come soon enough," Eric spoke softly into my ears, and this time I allowed his calming influence to soothe me. His kisses were a good distraction as they trailed down my neck.

"What do you think you're doing?" I giggled when I suddenly felt his hands cupping my breasts.

"Being friendly."

"Real friendly," I accused with a roll of my eyes.

"Shush you," he chuckled while continuing to fondle without an ounce of shame. "I'm playing with my friends."

"Eric!" I shrieked in annoyance since my 'friends' were all too eager to play. "Keep this up and you'll never see them again."

"Better listen to her, young one," the man I had been waiting anxiously for bellowed into the room from behind us. "Mercy on those who can withstand the wrath of a Brigant woman, I should know and care not to remember."

Eric's hands were gone faster than I could fathom while I jumped from my perched position to Niall's out turned arms.

"Your brother?" he asked curiously.

"Sleeping, I'm afraid; it has been a long night for us all."

"You should get some rest, too," Niall spoke with concern and I was sure scrutinising the heavy bags under my eyes. My head shook, communicating that I wouldn't willingly trade sleep in favour of his company.

"Later."

Niall chuckled, kissing me softly on the forehead. "You certainly are a resilient one, shall we walk among your woods?"

I glanced at Eric, almost forgetting he was still there, the invite spoken not necessarily having included him. He gave an encouraging gesture to see us out and a soft squeeze of my hand. I kissed his cheek softly before setting off, a backwards glance to assure myself he would remain there while he gave a little wave.

"You don't like it indoors."

"Very astute, Princess," Niall grinned. "Are you not the same?"

I thought about it, wondering if I were somehow not in touch with the Fae in me if I answered no. Walking by his side through the dense foliage, the treetops above us forming a natural canopy like a vaulted ceiling of a cathedral through which the sun shone in scattering glimmers around us. I nodded in agreement, the sun warming my skin gave a sensation like no other. "If the sun is out, so am I."

"Yes," he agreed while pulling my hand up to a spot of concentrated light. "It is the source of our light, we cannot help but feel kinship to it as we are of the sky."

I wanted to know more; of every aspect of a part of me that had remained such a mystery my entire life, I couldn't, however, forget the broken cost of our intelligence. So instead of answering my questions that would explain my makeup I began to talk of Staci and the hold on her mind.

"It is a rare skill," he answered frugally, causing my spirits to further plummet. My hopes that one of their own, Tulla, could still be considered innocent. Part of me had been idly convinced Tulla herself was unaware of the effectiveness of her soft persuasion as I had seen it take hold in Staci's mind, this mere suggestion taken for fact without force, implanting it deeply and twining itself in the crevices of her mind. He didn't volunteer more information, even after careful inquiries that altered into less subtle hints.

"You are happy with him," Niall noted, changing the subject once more, the sun already low in the sky hinting our stroll that had occupied us for hours would soon come to an end. On the porch the 'him' he spoke of had his large frame sprawled out in the deck chair, hiding from my beloved sun and waiting for my return. As soon as our eyes met across the distance I couldn't help but smile. "I need not ask what I can witness instead," Niall chuckled. "I would not have chosen him for you, but the Viking is a good match."

His approval meant more to me than I cared to let on, the notion that we would not be separated settled an insecurity I wasn't aware of having. "He's not a Viking, they no longer exist."

"Yes," Niall conceded. "Time moves differently for us, it is not so linear. Sometimes I forget. It is like Staci's mind."

I stopped in our languid pace to regard him, and he caught on soon enough and stopped beside me. He had given an insight into Staci's mind, but I was too scared to question it further whereas he had been reluctant to answer any of my questions before. "Her memories are no longer chronological," he elaborated while I kept my silence hoping he had more to offer. "Look carefully and you will find what you are looking for. You are more gifted than most, your shields are the strongest I have encountered in a long time."

A 'thank you' was accompanied by a blush, for what I was uncertain, it was simply something that was there, that I couldn't claim as my own accomplishment. The coping of living with it was, and perhaps he was complimenting that more than anything else.

"We are in need of offspring," he spoke bluntly, startling me not only with the request, but also the forwardness where he had been so evasive before. The small nugget of information granted with a compliment somehow seemed to make this allowable to him. "Next time we should discuss this 'science' you spoke of, Aelia assured me it could be done. I will send word for our next meeting."

The air shimmered briefly with the aftermath of his disappearance, not even giving me a chance to respond. I was left gawking, becoming startled by Eric's sudden appearance at my side. He nodded when I sought confirmation that he overheard the last of my great-grandfather's request that sounded more like a command.

"We'll make our own way," he assured, sounding more confident than I could be in that moment while he held me close. "Baby steps." I cringed, and he instantly apologised for the ill-chosen words.

It had taken Eric quite some time and effort for Godric to agree to meet us outside the palace without Tulla, and not raising suspicion in her along the way. I fell asleep on the car ride over, not caring much to the location only realising it was the secluded spot he had taken me to the first time we had taken his precious sports car out for a ride. They were already talking, or rather fighting by the upturned tree we had made out on, the anger and disappointment coursing through Eric being the thing that had jolted me awake. He was so aggravated he didn't even speak in English anymore, reverting back to his native Swedish instead. Neither vampire had even taken notice of me in their shouting match till I clasped onto Eric's wrist urging him to calm.

"Sookie, tell him," he urged at me, offering me up as a referee in their argument.

"It's true, Godric," I offered in a whisper, mindful of the impact this could have, shattering the image of his own Maker. "The signature is the same."

"It cannot be," he spoke with red tears brimming his eyes. "It is unlike her. She has no appetite for power."

"Maybe she has no choice," Aelia's voice chimed in from a distance away, alerting us all of her inconspicuous presence. "We all have leverage. Some more than others."

"No," Godric repeated firmly with continued disbelief, no one but me appearing surprised with her sudden appearance. "If she is guilty of betraying us than so am I."

"You can accompany one another in a cell then," Aelia spoke with a threat in her voice that I had not witnessed before, making me instantly understand the force of her power.

"If that is what it takes," Godric returned with an equal aggression that seemed to jar with the genteel character that I was usually met with.

"No," I pleaded, feeling the anguish inside Eric flood me at the thought of his Maker's imprisonment. "Let me try with Staci."

"Niall showed you how?" Aelia questioned displaying she always knew more than any of us.

"He gave new insight."

"Very well," she nodded before shifting her eyes to Godric with an even cooler stare. When it returned to me chills travelled down my spine. "_Their _fate is in your hands."

The responsibility magnified when her words settled into me with their veiled meaning, I was too scared to ask aloud that if I were to fail to extract any truth whether they would be condemned to a final and true death, execution by kin being the number one cause of death among the Sanguine after all. In the end I didn't need to ask, it was not uncommon knowledge that disloyalty among the Sanguine was considered the worst of crimes, instead the anguish that took hold of Eric over the fate of his Maker confirmed as much.

_Fuck. _

**A/N: Much thanks to msbuffy once more for all the wonderful editing work she always does for me :)**

**Ehm… yeah… nervy times ahead… tune in next time and all that… so thoughts?**


	26. Chapter 26 - Sleeping Beauty

_"We are in need of offspring," he spoke bluntly, startling me not only with the request, but also the forwardness where he had been so evasive before. The small nugget of information granted with a compliment somehow seemed to make this allowable to him. "Next time we should discuss this 'science' you spoke of, Aelia assured me it could be done. I will send word for our next meeting." _

_The air shimmered briefly with the aftermath of his disappearance, not even giving me a chance to respond. I was left gawking, becoming startled by Eric's sudden appearance at my side. He nodded when I sought confirmation that he overheard the last of my great-grandfather's request that sounded more like a command._

_"We'll make our own way," he assured, sounding more confident than I could be in that moment while he held me close. "Baby steps." I cringed, and he instantly apologised for the ill-chosen words._

_It had taken Eric quite some time and effort for Godric to agree to meet us outside the palace without Tulla, and not raising suspicion in her along the way. I fell asleep on the car ride over, not caring much to the location only realising it was the secluded spot he had taken me to the first time we had taken his precious sports car out for a ride. They were already talking, or rather fighting by the upturned tree we had made out on, the anger and disappointment coursing through Eric being the thing that had jolted me awake. He was so aggravated he didn't even speak in English anymore, reverting back to his native Swedish instead. Neither vampire had even taken notice of me in their shouting match till I clasped onto Eric's wrist urging him to calm._

_"Sookie, tell him," he urged at me, offering me up as a referee in their argument. _

_"It's true, Godric," I offered in a whisper, mindful of the impact this could have, shattering the image of his own Maker. "The signature is the same."_

_"It cannot be," he spoke with red tears brimming his eyes. "It is unlike her. She has no appetite for power."_

_"Maybe she has no choice," Aelia's voice chimed in from a distance away, alerting us all of her inconspicuous presence. "We all have leverage. Some more than others."_

_"No," Godric repeated firmly with continued disbelief, no one but me appearing surprised with her sudden appearance. "If she is guilty of betraying us than so am I."_

_"You can accompany one another in a cell then," Aelia spoke with a threat in her voice that I had not witnessed before, making me instantly understand the force of her power. _

_"If that is what it takes," Godric returned with an equal aggression that seemed to jar with the genteel character that I was usually met with. _

_"No," I pleaded, feeling the anguish inside Eric flood me at the thought of his Maker's imprisonment. "Let me try with Staci."_

_"Niall showed you how?" Aelia questioned displaying she always knew more than any of us. _

_"He gave new insight."_

_"Very well," she nodded before shifting her eyes to Godric with an even cooler stare. When it returned to me chills travelled down my spine. "Their fate is in your hands."_

_The responsibility magnified when her words settled into me with their veiled meaning, I was too scared to ask aloud that if I were to fail to extract any truth whether they would be condemned to a final and true death, execution by kin being the number one cause of death among the Sanguine after all. In the end I didn't need to ask, it was not uncommon knowledge that disloyalty among the Sanguine was considered the worst of crimes, instead the anguish that took hold of Eric over the fate of his Maker confirmed as much. _

_Fuck. _

**Chapter 26 - Sleeping Beauty**

**EPOV**

"Do you think she's innocent?" Sookie whispered when it was just the two of us travelling down the highway to a confrontation that would decide the fate of my Maker.

"I don't know, the evidence-" further words escaped me. I didn't even want to contemplate the possibility of guilt, for my Maker to no longer exist. Her small hand came to rest against the side of my face while I swallowed a sob that never vocalised. The pain wretched deep, and she cried the tears I didn't dare instead.

"We'll try for the best," she spoke softly, whatever that 'best' may be seemed vague to us both. My expectations ran low and for once I cursed the magnified speeds that this car could produce with a push of the pedal, now I never wanted to arrive. "I do love you, you know."

"Sookie, I get it!" The words were instantly regretted the moment they escaped my mouth, my hand that reached out in apology causing her to flinch only further echoing the mistake of temper. She took it anyway, kissing across the knuckles tenderly as if she had something to apologise for. I hit the brakes harshly, pulling up in a barren piece of dirt and in the limited confines of the car her seatbelt unbuckled before I pulled her onto my lap, hands finding the round sides of her face.

"I'm scared."

It wasn't anything I wanted to admit and consequently the volume at which it was spoken was exceptionally low. "Me too," she spoke with a slightly shaky breath and I deeply regretted the tears that were there, even if I wasn't the sole cause. We kissed, it seemed the most natural thing to do, and then we simply held each other for longer than could be considered comfortable, but it was to us.

She smiled, that precious and rare beautiful smile, and I realised what a dick I had been upon seeing the worry resonating in her eyes. This was all on her, she would be the one in the driving seat now. "I love you too." It was no longer a whisper while I pulled the curtain of hair from her face and briefly rested my forehead against hers, breathing together. The interior of the light blinded her momentarily, lightening up her wet orbs and caused her to quickly settle herself back in her seat, buckling herself in again, her hand, however refused to let go of me, resting comfortably on the innocent part of my thigh. If I didn't say it before I would have said it now, I fucking loved her, and my hand loved hers, holding it whenever it didn't require the manoeuvring of the vehicle.

We sat quietly waiting for the inevitable, silence raining in fear's steed. "Just lie, say it's not her."

"You know I can't do that, Eric," she whispered back, squeezing my hand tightly, for comfort or for assurance it was no longer clear. Our anxieties and our nerves existed as the same.

"You know you drive really slow for a Sanguine," Pam announced with a harsh knock to my window, startling us both out of contemplation, forgetting we had arrived at the dreaded destination. "Didn't know you were such an old fart behind the wheel."

"Pam, don't," Sookie urged when we reluctantly removed ourselves from our solitary confinement and into the crisp cool air, taking as little time as possible for our hands to find one another again, seeking borrowed strength.

"You two look like you're attending an execution," she snarked. It was meant in good humour, but all I could see was red and that was when I initiated the possibility of my own execution, tackling the Queen to the ground to snarl at her with an anger that was capable of ripping off her immortal head with the sheer volume of it, that is if my fangs didn't get to her first. Her strength didn't equal mine, but she knew a man's weak spot like no other, and I lay writhing in pain collecting grass stains beside her while she wiped off the worst of the marks on her impeccable suit that barely sustained a wrinkle or a stain, hair sitting as it was moments before, any evidence of our scuffle lost. Her face hung in high menace above mine, "Godric is NOT going to die!"

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am," she returned, appearing the picture of calm. "I am sure of Tulla, and Aelia doesn't gamble with the lives of her most valuable assets without knowing it's a bet she's sure to win."

I got up, anger coursing through my veins, Sookie soon by my side, "Forgive me if I don't share your optimism."

"I have been around a little longer than the both of you combined," she grinned, beckoning us to follow like nothing volatile had occurred between us. "Trust me when Aunty Pam says everything will be fine."

No further words were exchanged, Sookie and I having a hard time taking them as truth anyhow. It didn't take long to observe the strange assembly; Staci was a mess in a corner, Godric and Tulla obviously confined to different quarters now, and she instantly clamped onto Sookie, her face wet with sobs.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to attack him, I'm so sorry, please don't leave me alone."

Sookie soothed, getting her to become as calm as possible while forcing a glass of water down her and making sure she ate some of the food that had sat untouched and gone cold.

"Staci," Sookie spoke kindly, rubbing her thumb over the frail and thin wrist of the girl. "I want to try and recover something that's lost inside your mind. Will you let me?"

"Will it hurt?" she questioned, the method necessary uninteresting to her judging by the desperation in her voice. I couldn't help sympathise with wanting to uncover what was taken from one's mind.

"I don't know, what I uncover might hurt," Sookie offered honestly, wiping the last of her tears from her face. "You can choose to forget again, but it won't be the same."

"No," she whispered earning Sookie's generous approval with that tough decision. "I want to remember, I want to be me again, no matter the cost."

"You can always change your mind when you know all. Tell me whenever you want to stop," Sookie smiled kindly before taking both her hands in her own. Her eyes closed and she urged Staci to do the same, falling into a deep concentration. I felt her slip from me, physically and through the bond as if she tumbled into a hibernation, existing in the distance of a periphery. An impenetrable dome fell around them, much like the one the Fae had erected around Sookie's property. Aelia looked pleased while my worry only sought to increase with her so far removed from me now.

Despite her best efforts, the assault on Staci's mind wasn't pleasant and after the longest minutes of my existence passed by, even Aelia sat with worry and it was only because Pam had beaten her to summoning the troll-like doctor that she hadn't done so herself. I felt Sookie's energy draining, sweat glistened her brow with effort and concentration. Her eyes opened, fiercely seeking out Staci asking for confirmation to continue. Despite our supernatural hearing none of us could perceive what was spoken between them.

"Where is that doctor?" I demanded, the worry getting the better of me while no one was able to provide any answer I was willing to hear. "Get her here now!"

My back was only momentarily turned, but I was too late, screaming and pleading Sookie to stop as I felt her entire system collapse with the strain, only to watch the blood escape from her nostrils before she started coughing it up. That sweet and delectable life essence that could have any vampire enthralled with her was everywhere where I couldn't reach her.

I loathed the sight of it staining her and witnessing the life-blood leave her body behind. The dome remained impenetrable while I desperately screamed at her to let it up and let me in, my maker be damned, but she stubbornly persisted. Dr Ludwig flew in the door, too late by any estimation as the dome now sat shattered and Sookie lay almost lifeless in a deep comatose state, her muscles twitching in the aftermath. I held her to me, and despite the heat and heartbeat she felt lost to me while Ludwig attended to Staci. Later Godric had told me I had become so menacing to all around, no one dared come near the two of us, even the doctor who was fearless and withstood the threat of five powerful Sanguines who demanded instant medical attention be given to Sookie then and there.

I didn't remember screaming at everyone to leave but they did while I held her, hoping the cold of my body would bring her to the temperature of the living again. We were in a cocoon of our own now, no necessity for lights. Kisses were trailed, begs, prayers, and promises were expelled to little effect; she stayed away from me. Where to, I never got to know, I held her body in a feeble attempt to be closer to her, but she only felt further away in the limp hold.

Time passed, I'd never be able to recount the hours and I didn't dare close my eyes or take a rest. Countless efforts for her to ingest my blood were made to no avail. In the end Godric intervened where he had been unable to reach me before, forcing me to a day rest after which Sookie had been carefully checked over and washed clean of the sweat she had been drenched in. She was still by my side when I awoke, but she had grown colder yet fit perfectly in my side regardless. Medical equipment hung from her veins, small beeps kept track of her every movement, but there still was none.

"I'll leave you," the little doctor spoke carefully before hopping down and out of the room.

I whispered and pleaded Sookie's name again but it was to no use, she was the same as when sleep forced me from her. I looked and felt like a wreck, I didn't remember the tears, but they were shed regardless by the evidence of red that stained my face and clothes. Sookie's hair was clean now but I was sure by the last remnants of smell it had soaked there too. Without contemplation I showered, taking more time than necessary, preoccupied with thoughts rather than movements. Someone had seen to necessities, probably Pam by the discerning tastes. Everything I had noticed in Sookie's or rather _our _bathroom at home was there for her, ready and waiting alongside mine, shampoo bottles married off side by side. I couldn't stand the sight of it and with one fell swoop bottles were strewn in chaos across the floor. At least that still made sense to me.

My name was spoken with soft familiarity by the door, but since it didn't belong to Sookie I couldn't find it in me to care.

"Eric," Godric spoke up firmly and I couldn't help but obey. Sookie was the cost of him still being a version of alive. It was the first time I ever loathed my Maker, I couldn't even feel guilt for the anguish that marred his eyes.

"Staci has acquitted you and Tulla then?" I couldn't remember ever speaking to him with such disrespect or coldness, and despite that, he hardly flinched.

"In a sense," he offered carefully, understanding the cost of that particular freedom. "Sookie took all her memories for her, she remembers some of the earlier things. Tulla is innocent."

"Just like that?"

He shrugged, "Just like that."

I moved past him with little thought, settling in behind Sookie again. I was tired already, the sun was high in the sky and I lacked the stamina of someone older during the day.

"Jason would like to see her."

I gave a nod before agreeing, "He can come."

"We have sent word to her faery kin, perhaps they know better than us."

"I want to speak to the doctor, I want to take her to our home at full dark."

"Eric," my Maker sighed as if he were carrying the weight of the world. "It is safer here."

"I don't care anymore, when she wakes I want her to be in the comfort of home."

"You must live with the possibility-"

"No!" I didn't want to hear it, much less consider it. She was mine to have and to hold, and she wouldn't leave me now that I had her. She was going to wake up. We were promised eternity and I would have it. "Just make it happen."

"I shall talk to the doctor," he agreed while putting a bottle of warmed blood on the bedside table.

oOoOoOo

I was filled with joy when I next opened my eyes. She sat by the window, nude bar from a white sheet that hung loosely off her back exposing the curve of her neck sweeping down with cascades of white, dipping low enough so I could just discern the two dimples above her ass. I'd always wanted to bite someone there, it seemed the twin spots were made especially for it from the moment I knew had fangs. In reality it was an awkward spot to reach so I would have had to ask and that had pulled all the fun out of it. Perhaps with Sookie it would occur, perhaps now.

She didn't startle when I came behind her, my fingers tracing the bare skin of her spine.

"You're back," I barely realised I had spoken the words but her head turned around regardless, a beaming smile greeted me and the weight of worry that had worn me down to my smallest lifted from my shoulders. She barely got a word out because my lips were already on hers feeling her alive and vibrating beneath me while my fingers traced every inch of her skin feeling it respond like no other, not like it had been for days where nothing registered and she had lain limply against me. Now she carried her own weight, moved with and against me. She was present and all around me shining brightly.

"I love you," she whispered. "Always remember that."

I remembered. I remembered all too well because it had been a _fucking _dream, and it was beyond cruel to wake up without her again, my cock that had happily stirred with excitement and poked into her soft behind fell flat instantly with the realisation she was still gone.

A soft knock on the door didn't cause Pam to stop for a second while gliding in effortlessly. She had hovered around Sookie's sickbed more than any other, despite her Queenly duties and, accordingly, set up camp in one of the guest bedrooms of our home. I never asked who saw to the daily grind at the palace but assumed others had picked up the slack. "Someone here to see her," Pam informed without ceremony. I eyed her warily, she knew how I felt about visitors. I hated the well-wishers who came to stand witness to my grief. The only one allowed in was her brother; however, he couldn't take looking at her after the first visit and had since only called, always asking the same question.

_'Any change?'_

The answer remained as ever the same.

_'No.' _

Today the answer would be no different.

"No visitors today," I decided and closed my eyes again. It would be torture to wake up again with the realisation of loss, but to be with her even if it wasn't real was preferable to this perpetual holding state.

"You don't have a choice," she announced with a clap of her hands. "Get up and get dressed."

"Fuck off!" The growl that accompanied that statement was not as menacing as I had hoped, she simply stared at me with her arms crossed daring me to defy her. I didn't really want to count the number of times she could demand my death for my insubordination by now, cats and their nine lives had nothing on me.

"You'll _want _to get up," she spoke pointedly with a dismissive flick of her fingers. "Aelia is coming over. With a _guest_."

I was out sooner than I could think, growling at Pam why she didn't say so sooner while she stared on in amusement. She smoothed Sookie's hair and wiped away the small amount of drool that had gathered at the corner of her mouth tenderly. There was a rotation of nurses around but none were allowed to bathe her, that was my job, but Pam insisted on styling her hair and keeping her lips in full gloss. Her argument that Sookie would have wanted it was weak, she simply wanted to continue a long-standing ritual of grooming, it relaxed her and Sookie's comatose state unnerved her, making for a bizarre pendulum. Sookie had been a live doll to her for long and Pam was as unwilling as I to give in that she may be gone, so I allowed it because she understood the pain of losing her. I had, however, drawn a line with Pam's insistence on eye makeup.

"When?" I demanded while fumbling with the button fly on my jeans.

"Any moment now."

She wasn't wrong in her assessment, I had stopped focusing on any of my heightened senses since Sookie fell ill, concerning myself solely on any minor change inside her, so for the first time since being turned a noise startled me that announced a visit of the Prince of the Fae realm.

"I came as soon as I heard," he offered with apology.

"Thank you."

It was a sincere gratitude uttered by me when my eyes locked on his and a shot of pain travelled through me as it was the exact same sympathetic stance Sookie's would take. I knew it was a great risk for him to travel here to our home, we were being observed despite countermeasures and his visit would undoubtedly cause something, but the order as it had always stood had already begun to fall apart.

He sat by her bed and ran his fingers through her hair and released a small sob, barely stifling the cry. His two forefingers lit up and traced her form till he paused midway. "Why did you not tell me, sweet child?" he whispered.

I regarded him in question and he appeared as perceptive as Aelia in all things unspoken. "You are aware, are you not?"

"Of what?"

"She is carrying a light," he smiled softly.

It gave me hope, taking the flowery words as a token of life inside her. I, however, failed to produce the twin gasps that came from Aelia and Pam.

"How?" Pam whispered. "They said it didn't take."

Niall scoffed while I desperately tried to catch what I seemed to be missing in translation.

"I have been looking into your advances in science since we last visited, it does not surprise me they missed it. We Fae are different, even you with all your keen senses did not observe this."

"It's been long now," Pam noted, "she must have known." She leaned in close to her head, tucking a few stray strands to the side. "Why didn't you tell me, Sookie?"

"Tell you what?" I demanded, becoming only more aggravated with being left out of the conversation. Pam's eyes looked up at me with guilt, for the first time displaying a sign of vulnerability there. "She's pregnant, Eric."

I nearly fell to the floor in pain, our interactions finally coming to make sense. Her continued hesitance to commit completely to me came to stand in a different light. She clammed up every time the subject of children was raised because she feared this pain that was encompassing me now, causing me to gasp for breaths unneeded. It felt like betrayal when it was not and it hurt far worse. There was a light inside her beyond her own. It wasn't _mine._

My eyes narrowed on the messenger, channelling my pain into rage, and thrusting the Queen up against the wall with unparalleled strength. Surely this would be my end and I would be sent to a guillotine for this final assault. I didn't care anymore, what I had taken for life inside her was another man's child. Not mine, I had nothing left. She was gone, I was wholly convinced of that now.

Pam seemed genuinely frightened when I pushed harshly on her throat, demanding her confession when I seethed, "Whose is it?"

"It's-"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: It's... time to be evil and disappear without another word! Yes, I'm knowingly cruel. The only thing I can offer is that it's not Bill's and no worries this is not turning into a baby fic, I heavily protested at the thought when musey pants intervened with this news having had enough of pregnant Sookies in the Thanksgiving Fixin's Series but it was something in the original one-shot that I had to see through, so here we are...**

**Thanks to msbuffy who managed to do a great job editing this.**

**So... thoughts of the non yelling variety?**


	27. Chapter 27 - Don't Speak

"_I came as soon as I heard," he offered with apology._

"_Thank you."_

_It was a sincere gratitude uttered by me when my eyes locked on his and a shot of pain travelled through me as it was the exact same sympathetic stance Sookie's would take. I knew it was a great risk for him to travel here to our home, we were being observed despite countermeasures and his visit would undoubtedly cause something, but the order as it had always stood had already begun to fall apart._

_He sat by her bed and ran his fingers through her hair and released a small sob, barely stifling the cry. His two forefingers lit up and traced her form till he paused midway. "Why did you not tell me, sweet child?" he whispered._

_I regarded him in question and he appeared as perceptive as Aelia in all things unspoken. "You are aware, are you not?"_

"_Of what?"_

"_She is carrying a light," he smiled softly._

_It gave me hope, taking the flowery words as a token of life inside her. I, however, failed to produce the twin gasps that came from Aelia and Pam._

"_How?" Pam whispered. "They said it didn't take."_

_Niall scoffed while I desperately tried to catch what I seemed to be missing in translation._

"_I have been looking into your advances in science since we last visited, it does not surprise me they missed it. We Fae are different, even you with all your keen senses did not observe this."_

"_It's been long now," Pam noted, "she must have known." She leaned in close to her head, tucking a few stray strands to the side. "Why didn't you tell me, Sookie?"_

"_Tell you what?" I demanded, becoming only more aggravated with being left out of the conversation. Pam's eyes looked up at me with guilt, for the first time displaying a sign of vulnerability there. "She's pregnant, Eric."_

_I nearly fell to the floor in pain, our interactions finally coming to make sense. Her continued hesitance to commit completely to me came to stand in a different light. She clammed up every time the subject of children was raised because she feared this pain that was encompassing me now, causing me to gasp for breaths unneeded. It felt like betrayal when it was not and it hurt far worse. There was a light inside her beyond her own. It wasn't mine._

_My eyes narrowed on the messenger, channelling my pain into rage, and thrusting the Queen up against the wall with unparalleled strength. Surely this would be my end and I would be sent to a guillotine for this final assault. I didn't care anymore, what I had taken for life inside her was another man's child. Not mine, I had nothing left. She was gone, I was wholly convinced of that now._

_Pam seemed genuinely frightened when I pushed harshly on her throat, demanding her confession when I seethed, "Whose is it?"_

"_It's-"_

**Chapter 27 - Don't Speak**

**SPOV**

"Answer me!"

"It's yours."

I wasn't sure if he heard me, it sounded more like a croak than anything else. My throat was sore, limbs wouldn't move, eyes wouldn't open, but I could sense him. His rage activated through every nerve ending of my body calling me to consciousness.

"Shh," Niall soothed beside me, but it was only momentary as he immediately vacated his spot on the bed for Eric. I smiled at him through heavy lashes, the ache in my fatigued muscles, however, only gave me limited movement.

"Sookie?" he whispered and I could only answer with a delayed blink of my eyes.

"It's yours," I tried again with effort, but the words still wouldn't come out properly.

"Don't speak," he encouraged, understanding the amount of strain it caused my body to keep on trying. I shook my head again, needing these words to come from me.

"She's trying to tell you something," Pam spoke hoarsely while rubbing at her own damaged larynx. "Go on Sookie."

My hand felt heavy, I persevered regardless, placing it against his heart while the other found my stomach, restless eyes searched for the steady blue in his while they adjusted to the harsh light. It was an effort to enunciate, but I managed in the end, "Yours."

He had heard me now and looked upon me stunned. Baffled at what to say, shocked by the reveal, but I needed him angry, it gave me the energy to stay awake, to be here with him. I also needed him to be angry at me for not telling him that I didn't have the guts to tell him the moment I knew for certain. However, he wasn't angry, instead he was happy, elated, and kissing me generously, but my consciousness was fading, blipping in and out. I picked up a few words, _mine, Sookie, ours._ Then it was dark again_._

**EPOV**

"SOOKIE!"

She was gone again, gifting me with so much only to disappear once more. The doctor was looking her over, but could offer no explanation for her sudden recovery and her equally quick revert.

"I should take her to Faerum," Niall announced with an authority that genuinely made me believe that this would be the cure, but still I resisted.

"No," Aelia's voice echoed mine, hers, however, carried far more power.

"She is ours," she clarified.

"She is Fae, the treatment she needs will be found in Faerum," Niall protested to Aelia while I clutched Sookie to me tightly. "He can come if that's necessary."

"No," Aelia repeated. "They stay."

"Do not beat around the bush, Aelia," he warned. "Do not leverage her for an alliance. If you wish to reinstate it, it's done. Sealed in a womb."

"I appreciate that," she spoke calmly betraying the utter joy she was feeling that was travelling through our collective family blood. "Like it or not, she is from here, her family is here, and her mate is here. Do not take her from _here_."

"Who are we speaking of, Aelia?" Niall spoke gently with a quirk of his brow. "I may have taken his throne, but I am not Rogan."

"How can I be so sure of that?" she posed, staring him down. "You've reinstated all his policies."

"Necessities," he scoffed.

"Isn't that what she is to you now?" Aelia asked pointedly, gesturing at the frail female in my arms. "Are you going to deny to me what she carries now is not a necessity to your cause?"

She had silenced him and though I lacked the knowledge of the historical facts, it was apparent to all she had struck painfully close to a truth, and it sent my overprotective instincts into overdrive.

"Sookie is MINE!" was hurled into the room with a startling loudness. I swore I sensed a tremor running through her body with the proclamation. "THE CHILD IS MINE!"

"Of course they are," Pam assured while consolingly rubbing my back, no matter how clumsy it felt from her it had a soothing factor that calmed me, and, more impressively, made the standoff between two of the most powerful supernatural beings dissipate and take it to another room.

My scrutiny fell to Pam, I had taken Sookie's words for truth the instant she spoke them, the child was mine, but she knew more, and I still lacked the sense to piece together how dead seed had made for a live baby.

"How?"

It was enough of a cue for Pam who got up and moved to the adjoining walk-in closet full of Sookie's things. An unimportant drawer was opened and pulled out completely before she brought it over to me. "I bought these for her a year ago," she explained showing the contents of luxury designer baby items all a vulgar shade of pink. "When Sookie told me she wanted children but didn't think she'd ever find someone to raise them with. She was lonely in this large home and felt it unfair not to share such riches with others. Adoption was her first choice, but your ex-bitch of a wife had given so much way for her reputation to be dredged through the mud that all the agencies rejected her."

"You didn't glamour them?" I asked with surprise, thinking the solution would be easy.

"You think she'd let me? She wouldn't even throw money at the problem," Pam snorted. "Always picks the hard road, that one. Anyhow, that bitch of an ex is the one you should be thanking for that miracle."

I had a hard time imagining how Freyda had gotten Sookie knocked up, especially when Pam dropped the next question, "Remember Yvetta?"

A scowl covered my face, the needy Estonian dancer was quite the gold digger with a penchant for playing dress up that caused more trouble than she was worth. "Unfortunately."

"She liked to 'play' nurse often, didn't she?" A non-committal noise escaped my lips, confirming as much. "Yvetta actually was a registered nurse in her home country." The ever-amused Queen couldn't hold the laugh at my expense with my mortified reaction, petting me patronisingly on the head in the process.

"Freyda the Frightful hired her to take a donation," she spoke with little effort to hide her enjoyment over that. Her hand came to fondle Sookie's hair again, arranging it neatly around her face. "This little telepath caught the thought in her mind during their first emergency hearing. Freyda had scheduled the appointment right after to get inseminated and to demand entitlement to the entire estate with the little sprog in her belly. An injunction and some angry lawyer talk later, and Sookie here became the legal owner of several vials of your DNA."

"Fucking Freyda," I groaned, never being more thankful for that disaster of a scheming woman being my ex.

"Like fucking a cold fish?" Pam questioned, and I couldn't help but smirk with the rather accurate description.

"Thank you, Pam," I spoke sincerely, kissing the dainty fingers of her hand pulling our arms to hover protectively over our charges. "For being there for her and being here for us now."

She smiled widely, a rare sight on her otherwise stoic face. "There aren't many I would do that for," she acknowledged. "Or suffer that for," Pam motioned to the dent in the wall I had caused when shoving her into it.

"Sorry."

"Understandable," she shrugged, and I could tell she meant it. Sookie was as special to her as she was to me, she would gladly die a thousand deaths on her behalf. "Promise me though, Eric, whatever happens, put the child first. The first few times she tried it didn't take, it took her a long time to have the courage to start up again with all the hormones. If you have to choose between her and the child, she'll want you to choose the child."

My heart ripped in two with the thought. "No," I whispered to Sookie's forehead. "You came back once, you'll come back again."

"Cousin, I'm serious."

"So am I," I spoke evenly. "She's coming back and when she does, she'll agree to name our daughter Pam."

"Please don't," she groaned. "I detest the name, you imagine being stuck with it for eons."

"We'll consult you then," I offered. "Is that agreeable, Your Majesty?"

"Like that was even an option," she scoffed, and I couldn't help but laugh with her despite the circumstances that had me downtrodden for weeks for now I was happy. Happy with the news that there was a little life in her belly and there was life to Sookie still. All I had to do was find her again and we'd be happy together. I knew it to the very depth of my soul that it was in my grasp.

**APOV**

"What have you been able to pull from the girl?" Niall asked after we came to a carefully constructed agreement regarding Sookie once we had both conceded this child would be more important than either of us. "Staci?"

"Her mind doesn't remember, her body is a different thing," I sighed, remembering the horror and panic that set into her veins while showing her a photograph of the filthy Impurus Compton. She had yet to react to another face with anything other than indifference, and her fatal attraction to Godric had disappeared the moment Sookie fell from our lives. "Shahbaz is taking her through all the photographs we have but no hits so far."

"The ranks are still secure then," he observed to which I nodded. I never wanted to accuse Tulla, and found it hard to do so with the gentlest soul among us, but she was careless, sympathetic to a cause without knowing it, and I feared I had missed something. It was, however, the interaction with Staci that made me aware of a gift we had never taken notice of with Tulla, one she didn't even realise herself that she possessed. It was that same persuasive glamour that had held Staci in a permanent thrall. I had wasted little time and forced her to practice with Godric by her side perfecting it and undoing it, but we lacked Sookie's insight into the mind to really check.

"When you send over the healer, spare me Oren," I petitioned. "He was always good with his mind."

"I think I should station him with you permanently," he said with a small chuckle. "He's more loyal to you than me."

"Always get them when they're young," I winked back.

"You should come to Faerum, visit your mother," he offered.

I heaved a sigh, stilling the yearning for my beginnings. Being homesick for Faerum never quite escaped my ancient bones. "She would no longer recognise me as I am."

"She no longer recognises anyone," Niall spoke with a soft squeeze to my hand. "She still speaks of her dark-haired princess though, the one made for the shadows."

"Now is not the time to leave unattended, we are preparing for war, conflict in the least."

"She won't have forever," he tried, but my sense of duty superseded my own wants.

"Perhaps I'll see her when things settle down," I offered though we both knew it to be a lie, she'd pass before this was settled. Oren had told me as much, time was not congruent there and hers was up soon.

Eric passed us on the way to feed and on his return he unceremoniously plonked a tray of drinks on the coffee table by where we were perched. "Help yourself," he spoke gruffly before I stilled him on his path out.

"Sit," I ordered, and he reluctantly adhered. "A healer from Faerum will come here, he will work in conjunction with Ludwig. We all want her back Eric, but it will be your call."

"I want my sister," he said instantly. "She may be just human, but a part of Sookie is too. She's been delivering babies into this world for a long time, she'll be the one in charge."

I exchanged a glance with Niall and neither one dared reveal the excitement we felt at the opportunity. "A human," the Prince of the Fae scoffed with distaste while I shot him a co-ordinated glance that had him retracting his words and acquiescing Eric's request. With little more words from us, Eric got up and moved away again while we exchanged glances of pure glee at our good fortune.

"The sky is in our favour again," Niall mused.

The taut smile was yet to leave my face as we regarded the blue vastness that stood without a cloud outside of us. "Indeed it is."

* * *

><p><strong>Short and sweet sales pitches:<strong>

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_**A/N: So did we like the reveal? Was it worth the pain of that awful, awful cliffie last time? And what are Aelia and Niall so happy about with the arrival of Eric's sister...**_


	28. Chapter 28 - Accountability

_"What have you been able to pull from the girl?" Niall asked after we came to a carefully constructed agreement regarding Sookie once we had both conceded this child would be more important than either of us. "Staci?"_

_"Her mind doesn't remember, her body is a different thing," I sighed, remembering the horror and panic that set into her veins while showing her a photograph of the filthy Impurus Compton. She had yet to react to another face with anything other than indifference, and her fatal attraction to Godric had disappeared the moment Sookie fell from our lives. "Shahbaz is taking her through all the photographs we have but no hits so far."_

_"The ranks are still secure then," he observed to which I nodded. I never wanted to accuse Tulla, and found it hard to do so with the gentlest soul among us, but she was careless, sympathetic to a cause without knowing it, and I feared I had missed something. It was, however, the interaction with Staci that made me aware of a gift we had never taken notice of with Tulla, one she didn't even realise herself that she possessed. It was that same persuasive glamour that had held Staci in a permanent thrall. I had wasted little time and forced her to practice with Godric by her side perfecting it and undoing it, but we lacked Sookie's insight into the mind to really check._

_"When you send over the healer, spare me Oren," I petitioned. "He was always good with his mind."_

_"I think I should station him with you permanently," he said with a small chuckle. "He's more loyal to you than me."_

_"Always get them when they're young," I winked back. _

_"You should come to Faerum, visit your mother," he offered._

_I heaved a sigh, stilling the yearning for my beginnings. Being homesick for Faerum never quite escaped my ancient bones. "She would no longer recognise me as I am."_

_"She no longer recognises anyone," Niall spoke with a soft squeeze to my hand. "She still speaks of her dark-haired princess though, the one made for the shadows."_

_"Now is not the time to leave unattended, we are preparing for war, conflict in the least."_

_"She won't have forever," he tried, but my sense of duty superseded my own wants._

_"Perhaps I'll see her when things settle down," I offered though we both knew it to be a lie, she'd pass before this was settled. Oren had told me as much, time was not congruent there and hers was up soon. _

_Eric passed us on the way to feed and on his return he unceremoniously plonked a tray of drinks on the coffee table by where we were perched. "Help yourself," he spoke gruffly before I stilled him on his path out._

_"Sit," I ordered, and he reluctantly adhered. "A healer from Faerum will come here, he will work in conjunction with Ludwig. We all want her back Eric, but it will be your call."_

_"I want my sister," he said instantly. "She may be just human, but a part of Sookie is too. She's been delivering babies into this world for a long time, she'll be the one in charge."_

_I exchanged a glance with Niall and neither one dared reveal the excitement we felt at the opportunity. "A human," the Prince of the Fae scoffed with distaste while I shot him a co-ordinated glance that had him retracting his words and acquiescing Eric's request. With little more words from us, Eric got up and moved away again while we exchanged glances of pure glee at our good fortune._

_"The sky is in our favour again," Niall mused._

_The taut smile was yet to leave my face as we regarded the blue vastness that stood without a cloud outside of us. "Indeed it is."_

**Chapter 28 - Accountability**

**PPOV**

"Yours, I assume?" my Maker spoke with a little too much harshness when expressing the first word of that sentence. The large stack of packages was dumped ceremoniously with the others. My heart clenched momentarily for the precious cargo inside, but rather than start another fighting match, I uncharacteristically bit my tongue in fear that he might change his mind and decide to leave again.

Admittedly the amount of boxes trickling in was becoming embarrassing, and coming from me that truly was saying something. Jason Stackhouse, bless his heart, had no control over his shoe shopping spending, and it infected me like no other.

"Fucking bond," I offered as an excuse though I secretly loved it. Jason proved to be a great partner in crime. We may or may not have a couple of pairs that match.

Kristian's façade slipped momentarily as he mumbled, "Tell me about it."

I, however, was in no mood to tell him anything about it. As soon as the word 'bond' was in the air, he clamped shut or I shouted, usually a combination of both, and I was sick and tired of having him around and being a giant asshole.

"Where is he?" Kristian probed with all the feigned aloofness he possessed. It was little.

I merely shrugged in reply; I wasn't very interested in Jason's whereabouts. I could detect him faster than any GPS ever could, and he knew better than his sister to go out unguarded in times like these.

At least he was doing something; Kristian, for all his usual merits, simply sat and stared leaving me to guess whatever was bothering him. He had decided to stay, but never told me why, as if he ever would. Probably for the same reason he came, Sookie.

Men were strange creatures no matter what their mortal state, but at least Jason knew how to shop. He was easy to convince to do just that, visiting his sister was another matter entirely. The fact that I had never asked why he didn't go visit her was probably the reason he was still talking to me. Godric had dropped a hint, and we suddenly came to understand the very lethal threat a part-Fae could pose. I think my dear uncle is still slightly baffled by it all.

When I'm not available, Aelia entertains him although I fear it is more the other way round with those two. No one has dared tell him yet he is to be an uncle. These weeks have worn hard on him, he may have finally sprouted a wrinkle in the process, and luckily he carries it well. Niall's request to come see him was turned down after a hesitant internal struggle. He held up a tough stance of disinterest, but I felt it as it existed in his very marrow. He didn't dare feel anything other than misery in this moment, and meeting Niall again would make him feel loved. He felt undeserving of that right now and I couldn't blame him.

While the healers squabbled about how to proceed with our favoured telepath, a cure seemed absent for now. Even Aelia's blood made no difference to her frozen state. Staci seemed to produce nothing of value in the interim, and all had been suspiciously quiet. Slowly I gave command to lift the curfew as all seemed calm again after we planted one of Sophie Anne's dim-witted Berts, I honestly couldn't remember which one, in Compton's cushy palace position. It also solved my problem in keeping Sophie Anne nearby; the continued targeting of Andre was peculiar to say the least. For whatever reason beyond the obvious, our enemies wanted him dead, so the annoying bastard child would have to be kept alive.

Godric had latched onto Shahbaz taking a position as Consigliore, one he never wanted, to scour out the source that had let this happen to Sookie. I knew the answer no one wanted to hear, Staci was a booby-trap. No matter what happened when Sookie attempted to pull apart the strings that held the information Staci's mind promised, it was programmed to incapacitate her, and it was probably down to the fact that Sookie was expecting that, that she had been so cautious with invading Staci's mind for so long. In my mind, it was the reason there was no cure.

The Sookie Stackhouse I had always known would have delved right in, her instinct had given her caution she shouldn't have ignored, and she ultimately paid the price. The pregnancy had probably made her take caution where she would have ignored it before. I'd seen her in action more than once, if it was a just cause she was on it without a care for herself. The scary part was someone else knew this too, and planted Staci with that exact purpose and like us, had failed to factor in a pregnancy.

We thought we were playing the game with superior knowledge. Our enemies, however, were smarter, and now we were left with a devastating loss.

The knock on the door was assured, but I knew its tentative intent that hid behind it, I barely looked up from the mountain of paperwork as I waved my 'Bonded' in, still snickering at the thought whenever I regarded him as such.

Kristian gave a formal greeting, and then moved to get up, vacating his unwarmed seat for Jason. "We'll talk more later," my Maker posed without a hint of question in that archaic Danish of his. My automatic nod was stilled by his hands, catching me unaware of his sudden attentions. Lips touched mine, pushing hard while his hands kept me in place. I shoved him off, I was in no mood for his hot and cold behaviour, and my eyes gave warning of exactly that.

"Later?" he repeated.

"Later," I finally agreed after the silence had lasted too long.

"I want to go see Sookie," Jason announced after sitting languidly posed on my silk sofa without uttering a word for a good half an hour. At least this time he had the decency to wash his hands after eating all those foul foods without me having to tell him so. Fucking stains.

I looked up, giving an affirming nod to the unasked question that I would accompany him, gesturing at the pile of papers still awaiting my scrutiny which, despite his dim-wittedness, he seemed to comprehend. My head turned momentarily to him instead with narrowed eyes while taking in his appearance, "What will you wear?"

**EPOV**

"This is a dream, isn't it?"

She smiled and bobbed her head shyly. "Doesn't make it any less real."

I missed those lips that those words departed from, I had taken their abundance against mine for granted in my pursuit of more and more. Now all I had was this, an artifice of what once was. "Return to me," I begged, not for the first time and surely not the last.

"If I could I would," she whispered in return. "Are you still mad at me?"

I shook my head, and held my hand to her stomach that had started to display the same protrusion as her silent countertype in the world where I was forced to reside without her. I caressed that bump, our bump, every day while I washed her, patted them dry with the softest of touches, and measured the change with a dedicated measuring tape. Millimetres were as far as we had gotten so far, and Isa had regarded me sceptically with my recordings. My sister had gotten on a plane without me even having to ask, and scared all the nurses into order with her critical professional eye and instantly earned Dr. Ludwig's respect.

"Where are you?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Everywhere and nowhere?"

"Care to narrow it down?" Her tinkling laugh of response killed me; I wanted it back for real.

"Eric?"

"Yes," I whispered, kissing against those ethereal lips once more.

"You have to wake up."

"Not yet," I pleaded, not wanting this brief moment stolen from me again.

"Eric," she insisted, with an instilling fear. "You have to wake up! NOW!"

And I did.

With a startle, my nostrils flared with the scent of blood, and upon removing the covers I found the source, never had the sight of blood made me feel so sick. I screamed for Isa while I witnessed it run in rivulets down her thighs. My sister was groggy from her own sleep, but she stood at full attention, and set to work immediately while the nurse rushed in after her.

"Out!" Isa screamed at me with a look that dared me to defy her. I hesitated, but the glare that was far too reminiscent of our menacing grandmother had me retreat into the walk-in closet with the door ajar. It was shoved closed soon enough while I paced restlessly.

The drawer Pam had pulled out called to me, and my hands went through all the small items, urging me to calm, but little did. Everything was examined, down to the care labels. I was momentarily distracted with the use of a dry-clean-only sweater for an infant, but it was not enough to preoccupy me from what was happening next door.

That's when I found it, tucked at the bottom of the drawer, a small envelope with Sookie's handwriting. Pictures of a blip in a sea of black that was our child. I knew it already, but it pleased me like no other to see my name listed as the father beside hers. They were accompanied by drafts of letters where I could see her struggle to explain, but not finding the words, guilt written in the margins that she had forced me into fatherhood unwanted. She had done what Freyda had intended and carried twice the remorse of it.

The inheritance had lain like a boulder between us; I disregarded the weight it carried for her, discrediting it as merely money. Now I understood the burden I had added to it by being so dismissive and uninterested. My fingers were still tracing over the small blob in the sonogram when one of the nurses beckoned me. My feet felt like lead, unwilling to meet doom.

"We stopped the bleeding."

"Are they ok?" She didn't answer directly which made me wary to take another step.

"I'm not qualified to say," she offered sympathetically. It was something the nurses had said more than once, much to the grievance of Isa who urged them we would never sue and to be upfront with the information they had, regardless, they kept their unqualified diagnoses to themselves. She was useless, so I rushed past her to Isa who was washing off the last of Sookie's blood from her arms.

"Mamma and baby are fine," she said instantly before I fell into her arms, telling me all I needed to hear. "Nothing serious, Lillebror. You take good care of her."

"I need a drink," I sighed in relief.

"I'll join you," she grinned before shoving me towards the small seating area that in my mind had already been redecorated as the nursery.

"You can't go on like this," Isa spoke sternly. "You're not some pussy, Eric Northman."

The strong spirit escaped in a mist from my mouth with her admonishing and harsh words. I had expected this from others, but not from my own sister. I tried to retain some dignity by wiping away some of the liquid with the back of my hand and wiping it away menacingly on the side of the chair. Isa wasn't impressed much and had the audacity to laugh. Bitch.

"You need to get angry and jump into action," she continued with little regard for my bruised ego. "That's who you are. This caring and protectiveness, it's sweet-"

I coughed again, fortunately not choking on any liquid in the process this time. "Sweet?"

"Yes," she grinned. "_Sweet _and it's not you."

"You wouldn't do this for your husband?"

"Course I would," she shrugged. "I'd yell at everything and everyone to make him better first. Take a risk, Eric."

"What is this really about?" I knew I hit a nerve when she exhaled a deep sigh that had nothing to do with fatigue.

"They're handling her like spun glass, bror. We sit and talk in meetings, and nothing gets done."

She appeared tired, a thing I had failed to notice with all my focus being absorbed by Sookie and her care, and I knew it had nothing to do with the hour of the night.

"Accountability," I surmised, having been reminded of it by the mute nurse only minutes ago.

"I don't know what is so special about her or the child she carries, lest not forget I'm the human here who gets told as little as possible, but no one dares to propose anything. Instead they argue whether it's physical, meta-physical, magic, poison... the list is endless when the solution is so simple."

I dared take a small sip again from the heavy tumbler while eyeing her sceptically, "Which is?"

"Get angry."

I scoffed, preparing to get out of my seat, drinking down the last of the spirit in one large gulp before returning to Sookie. Anger and I had been steady friends for a while now. Isa didn't know shit.

"I'm serious," she stated while obstructing my path, pushing harshly against my chest. "I mean it."

"Go to bed, Isa."

"She woke up when you got angry, Eric," my sister reminded. "What harm is there in trying?"

"I suppose you have a theory?" It was a dumb question; Isa had theories from the moment she could babble nonsensically, stringing random thoughts together into a narrative only she ever seemed to understand.

"You're connected," she pointed out. "You're the answer to pulling her back. Screw my medical opinion and the cowards that don't even dare come near her. You're allowed to be mad about this. You're allowed to be mad at _her_."

With that something broke. I had been upset, pissed, and enraged for the situation, with Sookie's nobility and willingness to save everything and everyone, but herself. Never with _her_. As ever, Isa was right, I was mad and denying it. I was fucking mad at fucking Sookie Stackhouse for fucking leaving me, for leaving her child, and not telling me about it, for dangling a fucking carrot of happiness in front of me, and then taking it away! It boiled over and I tapped into that dark side, that shadow that was cast from the moment I was reborn, this untethered beast that fed off the extremes, bloodthirsty and pounding into the drums of my ears till there was only one way out, startling Isa only for the moment with the intensity as it all expelled with a roar.

It filled the room.

A loud gasp.

She was awake! She was fucking awake!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So it got a little nerve wracking there but it was all okay you see… thank heavens for Eric's sister who we still have yet to figure out why she is so significant... next time we'll get a little insight what's been happening with Sookie. Does this count as a cliffie? Thoughts welcome as always!**

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	29. Chapter 29

_"They're handling her like spun glass, bror. We sit and talk in meetings, and nothing gets done." _

_She appeared tired, a thing I had failed to notice with all my focus being absorbed by Sookie and her care, and I knew it had nothing to do with the hour of the night._

_"Accountability," I surmised, having been reminded of it by the mute nurse only minutes ago. _

_"I don't know what is so special about her or the child she carries, lest not forget I'm the human here who gets told as little as possible, but no one dares to propose anything. Instead they argue whether it's physical, meta-physical, magic, poison... the list is endless when the solution is so simple."_

_I dared take a small sip again from the heavy tumbler while eyeing her sceptically, "Which is?"_

_"Get angry."_

_I scoffed, preparing to get out of my seat, drinking down the last of the spirit in one large gulp before returning to Sookie. Anger and I had been steady friends for a while now. Isa didn't know shit._

_"I'm serious," she stated while obstructing my path, pushing harshly against my chest. "I mean it."_

_"Go to bed, Isa."_

_"She woke up when you got angry, Eric," my sister reminded. "What harm is there in trying?"_

_"I suppose you have a theory?" It was a dumb question; Isa had theories from the moment she could babble nonsensically, stringing random thoughts together into a narrative only she ever seemed to understand. _

_"You're connected," she pointed out. "You're the answer to pulling her back. Screw my medical opinion and the cowards that don't even dare come near her. You're allowed to be mad about this. You're allowed to be mad at __her__."_

_With that something broke. I had been upset, pissed, and enraged for the situation, with Sookie's nobility and willingness to save everything and everyone, but herself. Never with her. As ever, Isa was right, I was mad and denying it. I was fucking mad at fucking Sookie Stackhouse for fucking leaving me, for leaving her child, and not telling me about it, for dangling a fucking carrot of happiness in front of me, and then taking it away! It boiled over and I tapped into that dark side, that shadow that was cast from the moment I was reborn, this untethered beast that fed off the extremes, bloodthirsty and pounding into the drums of my ears till there was only one way out, startling Isa only for the moment with the intensity as it all expelled with a roar._

_It filled the room. _

_A loud gasp. _

_She was awake! She was fucking awake!_

**Chapter 29 - Go**

**PPOV**

"Send her away," he demanded of the woman between us, refusing to come in the receptacle that separated us. She looked at me questioningly, her tongue still firmly lodged in between my legs, the sudden loss of cock from her behind and a foreign language stilling her movements. I glared at him, only for him to glare back.

"Go."

She nodded, pulling the pile of clothes from the floor and rushing out of the room. Shame lost to her a long time ago, something that couldn't be said for the either of us. It hung as thick in the air as his unsatisfied cock.

"Are you thinking about him?"

"Eric?"

Granted, I thought of my Cousin and Sookie more often than not in these past few weeks. I had, however, initiated this brief moment to kill the standoff between my Maker and me, but also for just one moment not to have to think. _Win-win. _

Or not.

He growled the name of my newly Bonded instead.

Repeating _that_ name aloud to him with an implied question mark turned the situation from tense to volatile.

"You're jealous," I shouldn't have laughed at him then, vulnerable as he was. Though I had to, it was preposterous.

"Pamela."

Again more growl than word.

My hands cupped his cheeks seeking out his evading eyes, closing the physical distance between us, fearing the emotional one was only growing the longer we were together. I knew then inviting him to bed was a mistake, inviting along an even greater one. I saw that now as I observed the taut features of his face, tense with strain. This wasn't like him, hiding, especially from me.

"What makes you think another could ever take that place," I whispered, ignoring the tears that were brimming in the rims of his eyes. They stayed, Kristian never was one to submit to such weakness. Not even with me, this is the closest I would ever be a witness to it. My eyebrow sat in a condemning arch as he scorned me with disbelief, not uttering a word, reminding me all over again why I preferred sexual partners with pussies. They tended to hiss and shriek, but at least they made a sound, anything was better than _his _silence. "Jason's fun to buy shoes with. That's it."

"That's it?" he accused in a low whisper. "You feel for him."

"He feels _of _Sookie," I confessed, diverting my own eyes with the shame of having such human attachments. "He's family."

"I'm family."

"You're more than that," I whispered against his lips, his body finally submitting to mine, his weight heavy above me as it came to meet my softer flesh. "You were more before there was ever a drop of blood between us."

Kristian nodded, I thought I detected relief, but it felt more like a dismissal. He retreated, my bed, empty once more, leaving me with the rank smell of the interloper and her human sweat. She had acted as a barrier between us, and now her absence mocked our inabilities to be just two.

"I should go."

My head sank with its weight to my upturned knees. So it was time, quicker than I thought it would come. My fault I suppose, instead of asking him what was wrong, or for him to tell me, we had remained silent for too long and I had nothing left to keep him here.

"Ok," I whispered, not even willing to see him anymore if all he was going to do was say goodbye.

"Why?" he spoke lowly, suddenly beside me again, lifting my chin to meet his impenetrable gaze.

"What?"

"Why do you let me defeat you?" Kristian probed, our foreheads resting on one another, unsure which was which to necessitate this support.

"Because you're the only one that can."

"Fight me, Pam."

"I don't want to fight anymore, Kristian. Least of all with you."

Tears were falling now, mine, brushed away by his thumbs, but through my tightly closed lids I could still scent the ones escaping him.

"Pam!"

Cue mistake number three of the night; squeezing in a threesome before visiting Sookie the one night her brother decided he wanted to see her and now stood pounding on my door with urgency. My Maker held me tight, unwilling to let me go. From his grasp or anywhere else, I was no longer sure.

"Don't leave," I begged.

"I never leave, Humlebi," he murmured into my hair.

My eyes found his, "Stay at least."

It was small, a nod of concession, but the gesture was large, my hands clutched tightly onto him.

"PAM!" Jason roared again with pummeling fists.

"Go," Kristian urged when I couldn't find the words to express gratitude or affection, so foreign had it become between us in these past few weeks. A rare smile escaped his tightened lips and my façade cracked lightly in response.

**EPOV**

"Eric."

It was part breath, part whisper, but she had spoken my name. It was heard, and it was the most glorious sound to my ears. I operated on pure instinct, the bite was rough and painful, and I couldn't care. Blood that refused to take before poured down her throat, and I could feel the magic elixir healing her as I urged it to do so. Her excessively white pallor tinged rosy, the sickly sweat departing.

I urged her to continue to drink while she tried to speak again. Yes, I wanted to hear her voice, to hear her speak my name again, not caring for the information locked in her brain. She spluttered against my wrist when I knew she had taken enough, but I wanted more, a human flaw that continued to motivate me into second life. Always reaching for the unattainable, for what wasn't mine while selfishly refusing to share what was, which so much was. Her body was a known quantity to me now and I needed to possess it all, including the foreign growth inside that was without a doubt wholly mine.

Her eyes grew wide, choking and strangling against the forced blood as it pooled in her mouth. I cursed myself, she had only just woken and my obsessive instincts were now inundating her into lost consciousness again. I stared in shock with the menacing eyes above, finding myself planted firmly on the floor without Sookie in my grasp.

"Go!" Isa commanded with a menace I had not witnessed for a very long time.

I cowered in the corner, observing my very human sister who had thrown me off with ease where Sookie had struggled.

"There you are," she smiled when the worst of Sookie's coughing had ceased, gently rubbing her back.

"Isa," Sookie beamed back. "How's-"

"The baby is fine. Now let's make sure you are."

I was shocked to see her reaching for me, shame overcoming me for inadvertently causing her strain, and endangering our child.

She glared harshly when I refused to come, ignoring my whispered apology and reluctantly I sat beside her where with a contented sigh she rested her head against my shoulder while Isa continued to look her over. My sister grinned knowingly while pulling a few vials of blood and briefly departing from the room.

"Are you still mad at me?" Sookie whispered against my chest and, despite Isa's earlier proclamations that Eric Northman was no sentimental pussy, rivulets of red were escaping my eyes.

"No," I whispered sincerely, holding her hand over her stomach with mine, "I'm happy."

**PPOV**

"Took you long enough," Jason growled as it appeared to be the tone of voice all men would be taking with me tonight.

"Your sister will still be there five minutes from now," I glared back, sustaining little patience with my foul-tempered Bonded.

"This isn't about Sookie," he grit out.

I eyed him carefully, scrutinising every flare of a nostril and crease in his wardrobe. "Change the shirt," I agreed instantly while taking in the ugly branded t-shirt with skulls and roses and the vulgar display of a mediocre designer's name plastered all over it. "She'll hate it."

"Sook loves this shirt!" he yelled with sudden fluster. "She gave it to me!"

"As a joke," I countered dryly, remembering the snickers all too well when she bought it.

"Fuck!" he growled while I rolled my eyes, Kristian and he really should just make it their official tongue. Unlike me, it was getting old, fast. "This isn't about my shirt!"

"What's that Lassie, has someone fallen down a well?" I queried with a loving pet to the bouncy bunch of hair on his head. He'd probably destroyed another priceless vase or painting. I'd stopped counting after the third one. Jason, however, like a guilt ridden child, continued to fess up each and every time.

Another growl came as a response, predictable.

"I saw that filthy Impurus FUCKER!"

Well that was new. I nearly blinked at that, but then I saw those fuckers all the time.

"No more play dates with Aelia for you," I chuckled while I beckoned him to follow me down the halls. "Teaching you all those naughty words."

"For FUCK'S SAKE, PAM," he hollered,_ well at least it wasn't a growl, _and, despite his human façade, had me pinned harshly against a wall. _Fucking element of surprise. _"I FUCKING SAW HIM! FUCKING HELL!"

Fucking hell indeed. Eyes were upon us and an eerie silence befell us. While in the privacy of our own inner sanctum where everyone was family, behaviour like this and displayed by Eric in the past could be excused, but my seemingly human Bonded had just humiliated a Queen in front of her people. It didn't take me long to act, well ahead of my guards, a perfectly manicured thumb pressed hard, depriving him of oxygen to his already rather empty brain before he crumbled to the rare and exquisite marble slabs of the floor. A flick of my wrist, and Shahbaz picked him and had him over his shoulder. The palace workings continued as if nothing had occurred while I continued a confident stride.

**SPOV**

My knees wobbled, weight resting upon them a foreign thing now, while Eric indulgently held me up. The intended destination, the bathroom, now appeared endlessly far away making me regret the insistence that my catheter be removed.

"You'll be at full strength soon enough," he offered gently, even though it was apparent Eric was extremely nervous over the entire expedition.

"Do you mind?" I whispered for his sake more than mine, I was sure I would make it to the bathroom on my own eventually but his continued worry was stifling. He heaved a big sigh of relief and had me cradled to him in moments.

"What's been happening while I was gone?"

"You were never gone," he answered sternly before setting me down on the lid of the toilet while he set the temperature on the shower. It was strange seeing all his things in what I had considered my bathroom for so long, he had moved in with a clear intent to stay, and I had yet to decide how I felt about that. Everything was all still so new between us, and then there was a baby I had planned without him and I had never found the courage to tell him about.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," I whispered while picking at the looms on the plush towel he had placed in my lap. "I wanted to, it just never felt right. I lost one before, I didn't want to say anything till I knew..."

Eric's hand came to rest against my stomach, nursing the life inside with more comfort than I ever could.

"You had to be certain," he acknowledged. "It's not what made me mad, Sookie, you had your reasons. I don't like it, but I accept it, but knowing how precarious that life inside you is..." He crouched before me, eyes level, that intense anger coming to the forefront, the one that had connected us and with sheer intensity brought me back. Where from I still wasn't sure. "Don't ever do that again," he seethed. I should have flinched with the intensity at which he spoke, but all I could see was the anguish that motivated it.

"You say you love me, and if you do, know you have to care for yourself first, Sookie, then for our child. I can't go through that again, I can't lose you."

"Ok."

Tears welled, but it didn't matter, hidden as they were with the damp fog of the hot shower that had started to surround us. His lips brushed against mine carefully, with far too much restraint, the tensile strength of what I had come to understand were weeks of pain that had separated us, pushing that otherwise soft mouth in a hard line.

"I have to tell you something," I whispered, dreading having to tell him more, however, knowing it would be wrong to withhold this from him. "Someone else knows I'm carrying your child."

"Yes, Pam told me," he answered between soft kisses to my neck while hands caressed from top to bottom.

"No, not Pam," I corrected with a far too violent shake of my head, dizziness setting in momentarily. "It's Bill, he knows, and he's alive."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Thanks as ever to msbuffy for her superior editing skills.**

**Right… I'm supposed to be in evil mode…. since you know cliffies... ehm... sorry?**

**You really thought it was that easy to accept Bill was dead… tut tut, lesson to you all; when Jason has something to say make sure to listen ;) On the plus side: Sookie's awake! More on the repercussions of that next time… thoughts welcome as always!**

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	30. Chapter 30 - Homeward Bound

_"What's been happening while I was gone?" _

_"You were never gone," he answered sternly before setting me down on the lid of the toilet while he set the temperature on the shower. It was strange seeing all his things in what I had considered my bathroom for so long, he had moved in with a clear intent to stay, and I had yet to decide how I felt about that. Everything was all still so new between us, and then there was a baby I had planned without him and I had never found the courage to tell him about. _

_"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before," I whispered while picking at the looms on the plush towel he had placed in my lap. "I wanted to, it just never felt right. I lost one before; I didn't want to say anything till I knew..." _

_Eric's hand came to rest against my stomach, nursing the life inside with more comfort than I ever could. _

_"You had to be certain," he acknowledged. "It's not what made me mad, Sookie, you had your reasons. I don't like it, but I accept it, but knowing how precarious that life inside you is..." He crouched before me, eyes level, that intense anger coming to the forefront, the one that had connected us and with sheer intensity brought me back. Where from I still wasn't sure. "Don't ever do that again," he seethed. I should have flinched with the intensity at which he spoke, but all I could see was the anguish that motivated it. _

_"You say you love me, and if you do, know you have to care for yourself first, Sookie, then for our child. I can't go through that again, I can't lose you." _

_"Ok." _

_Tears welled, but it didn't matter, hidden as they were with the damp fog of the hot shower that had started to surround us. His lips brushed against mine carefully, with far too much restraint, the tensile strength of what I had come to understand were weeks of pain that had separated us, pushing that otherwise soft mouth in a hard line. _

_"I have to tell you something," I whispered, dreading having to tell him more, however, knowing it would be wrong to withhold this from him. "Someone else knows I'm carrying your child." _

_"Yes, Pam told me," he answered between soft kisses to my neck while hands caressed from top to bottom. _

_"No, not Pam," I corrected with a far too violent shake of my head, dizziness setting in momentarily. "It's Bill, he knows, and he's alive."_

**Chapter 30 - Homeward Bound**

**EPOV**

The 'inoffensive' asshole. How the FUCK did he continue to keep rearing his ugly head?

"How?"

"It's why I kept digging into Staci's mind," she explained with a wary look in her eyes. "No one knew this time, Eric. I only suspected, hoped, and dreaded at the same time."

"You went to a clinic, the doctor, the staff it must be one of them."

"You think I'm that careless?" she countered with a tap to her head. "I'd know if anyone was intent on trading that kind of information on me and Pam had the entire staff glamoured there the first time I went, down to the night janitor."

"There's other ways to retrieve information, you're not the only one who can pull something from someone's mind."

She sighed, "I thought becoming a mother would mean things settling down."

I held her carefully; still aware of how fragile she was despite the sudden, speedy recovery courtesy of my blood. "I know," I whispered in her ear, wishing nothing more than that for her even if it meant I no longer had a place in that idyllic picture, but I knew better. Aelia and Niall were far too excited at the prospect of our child. An otherwise heavily negotiated alliance that had been abandoned for a millennia was rekindled with just the prospect of what grew from the two of us.

A high pitched voice interrupted us demanding, "Where is she?"

"I'm in here, Pam," Sookie called out moments before she sped in before us, shoving me out of the way with little ceremony.

"SOOK!"

She was a beautiful sight, despite the eyes full of tears as she was engulfed by an otherwise unaffected Pam blinking away a few red dots herself and her brother. I worried for her precarious state and unconsciously emitted a soft growl.

"Can it, Northman! Let me have this!" Pam growled in return with equal vigour.

"You okay, sis?" Jason probed at which she could only nod with tiny sobs.

"Getting there," she finally answered with a wet smile. "Where were you?"

A guilty and rather audible gulp travelled down his Adam's apple before he sheepishly murmured a nonsensical excuse that Sookie immediately accepted. "Couldn't stand seeing you like that," he finally admitted before she hugged him tightly in understanding.

"Step aside!" the tiny doctor huffed, repeating it once more with added volume to the assembled bunch that paid her no attention. The healer from Faerum, Ysolt, who never spoke much, but somehow held the most authority of all of them, sidled in behind her. I joined my sister who stood by the doorway with an amused look, shaking her head all-knowingly.

"She's fine," Isa assured me.

"But you are not," my Maker suddenly chimed in from behind us, only making me aware of his presence then. I looked at him curiously taking in the severe look of anguish on his face, but only there, and then I suddenly understood; I was on my own. In a panic, I probed the ties that defined me; to my Maker, to my Sanguine bloodline, to Sookie. All were gone.

"What happened?" Godric asked, switching to my native Swedish while he pulled me aside for privacy. Without thought Isa had followed, checking me over herself for anything physical that might be wrong with me.

I explained the events as they had occurred while we simultaneously sought out the missing bond between us. "Sookie?" Aelia questioned while beckoning Dr. Ludwig to our small congregation. I reluctantly shook my head.

"Powerful magic," the doctor finally announced after examining me thoroughly. Silently Ysolt agreed with her assessment with a barely discernible nod.

"Eric, what's wrong?" Sookie questioned standing feebly by the door, her fingers digging into the wood of the doorpost out of necessity to hold her upright. Without thought I guided her back to the newly-made bed assuring her nothing was wrong, but she took little truth from it, the absent bond being as unnoticeable to her as it had been to me. "Just tell me," she whispered with a plea I couldn't ignore.

"It appears your return had a cost," I explained while seeking to hold her hands in my own. "The bonds that tied me to you, to my family, to Godric, they're gone."

"Because of me," she added with a tremble to her lips. I assured it wasn't her fault, but no bond was necessary for me to take in the self-inflicted guilt she carried over it.

"No," I assured with a borrowed certainty. "Because of us."

Her wet eyes met mine and I knew our thoughts were the same. Protectively her hands fell to her stomach and mine covered hers with the same fear. It wasn't necessarily about _us, _rather what came from us. Silently an understanding was reached between us, whatever it would take this was our priority and our priority to keep safe.

In a sudden fit of rage, Jason demanded, "Why the FUCK did no one tell me she was pregnant!" His face was a suitable shade of red, but instead of acknowledging his temper, eyes flitted over to Pam who continued her mindless preoccupation of arranging an assortment of cosmetics just so, and only with the boring of our eyes upon her did she suddenly register the observation of her person.

"What?" she asked though the high arch in her eyebrow spoke more than the word she uttered annoyed.

"Jason?" Aelia demanded with urgency while pointing at the adult throwing a full-out temper tantrum that everyone but Sookie continued to ignore. "The bond, is it intact?"

Nervously she shook her head.

"Kristian?"

"_Fuck."_

**KPOV**

I didn't fail to hear the tiny sobs coming from her bedroom, and my inadequacy to deal with them had put us in this precarious situation. I had simply assumed she was still mad at me, in truth, I was mad at _me _too. However, these were the decisions a Maker made for his Childe, and despite my deep affection for her beyond that of a Maker to his progeny that would always be the essential bond to dictate my actions towards Pam, even if it came at a cost. The hierarchy of things was everything to us Sanguines. As long as that cost was me, not her, I could 'live' with that. I would rather be hated by my Childe and see her succeed than anything else. Legacy and her survival trumped all my personal wants, a century on this still seemed impossible for her to grasp, and I had hoped against all hopes that age would bring wisdom to her on this tedious pendulum between us, but in this, unlike in any other field, she seemed unwilling to comprehend.

So used to blocking her, unlike Godric, the separation to my Childe went unnoticed by me. A shame that will carry with me forever; now had me seriously questioning my actions finding little answers in the amber liquid that sat in the heavy tumbler staring back at me. Even that spoke of us, her pleas to visit Paris while newly turned were ignored by me then at a time when I had far more command of her, and instead we visited the idyll of Ireland much to her irritation. That was until her beady eyes were taken with the exquisite crystal from the town of Waterford. I could still remember the excitement that surged through us both when she found these tumblers, her newfound strength shattering the first she held with embarrassment but a full set was eventually found to her utter delight. I had to admit I missed that Pam sometimes, the one who was yet to be worn down by her potential and duty.

"She'll forgive you," Tulla spoke kindly.

I agreed with a minute nod, adding, "Eventually."

It was the time in between that would be testing me. We were in unchartered territory, and I wondered if she felt as lost as me. "You and Godric?"

"Still attached," she offered apologetically. "This never happened before?"

My head shook in the negative; I would know if it had. I studied the subject for centuries, our connection to each other defined our strength with its origins to the forging magic of the Fae, and this was the first instance I knew of that something external had disrupted it, orphaning Pam and Eric from our lines as if they were as easily released as an Impurus.

A knock on the door interrupted my quiet contemplation, "Staci has been confined, and we are searching for any trace of Compton. My Commander will arrive in the morning," Shahbaz informed before taking dismissal with my nod. I sighed unnecessarily against the palm of my hand, hoping the unique rituals that bound the Guard of Anûšiya would help us repair ours. It was a possibility; however, they took centuries, and I doubted we had the abundance of time on our side with the resurgence of a fallen enemy in our midst. Beyond that, the capture of Compton would at least give us a direction to look towards.

"Perhaps the bonds are not gone, simply subdued," Tulla offered with commiseration.

"Perhaps," I agreed, but inside I knew better. It was as if my Humlebi was lost to this earth, and what pained me more than _that_ thought was the realisation that the event went unnoticed by me till she stood in front of me with guilty nerves which lasted milliseconds. Anger erupted soon after with my incomprehension followed by her subsequent retreat, leaving me in confusion before the others had come to explain the events as they had occurred.

"See this as a chance," Tulla suddenly spoke with an authority I was unaware she possessed. "You can be with her without the complications that have plagued you both for so long. You can simply be together without complications, without knowledge of the other," she smirked mischievously for a rare moment. "You can be young again."

For the first time that night a smile crept up my jaw line and a chuckle escaped with it. I couldn't help but see her point, with Pam I never had the luxury of the unknown always in possession of superior knowledge with my blood inside her even before she was turned, and tried as I might to erase those advantages that permanent presence between us always spoke more of us than either one would utter in a single word. With a greeting, I left Tulla, and with haste made my way to her bedroom happy to find the door still open to me, stripped while she continued to glower at me in the brief moments she didn't pretend to ignore my presence altogether and slipped in beside her. She protested momentarily when I wrapped my body around hers, pulling her close before she settled in my arms, and spoke the words she never wanted to hear and always with the advantage of our bond had the opportunity to silence, as if somehow that made it impossible to be true. I knew it now to be stronger than any blood.

"I love you."

She shifted in my embrace, cool blue eyes staring me down, hard and accusing. "Why would you say such a thing?"

The indignance radiated of her body like a blistering heat, yet all I could offer was honesty. "It's the truth."

Only because I allowed it did my hold on her break apart, she turned her back to me once more and to the other side of the room she spoke coolly, "You've ruined everything. Now there's nothing left."

**SPOV**

"Shall we try again?"

He shook his head in defeat, "I don't dare drink any more from you. You should drink from me again."

"I'm fine," I insisted, though in truth I was feeling rather dizzy from the repeated exchanges that failed to produce the magic it had once called upon to bind us together. "If we don't succeed-"

"Try, try again?" he finished with an exhausted tone before falling with his entire body onto the bed and pulling me down with him.

"No, I worry-"

"Don't," he implored with a growl. I knew we were thinking the same thing. Eric had become more aware of Sanguine politics in my absence and it was a thought neither one of us could let go of. Bonds were essential to everything, and despite the bundle that lived inside me, we both knew better than to assume that would be enough. If we were not bound to each other by blood, we would be forced to bond to another to secure the alliance. Our perfect little romance would be a thing of the past.

"We have to consider-"

"Not yet."

"I'm glad Isa's here," I whispered to his chest when I came to rest my head against it.

"Me too," he murmured into my hair before kissing it softly. "We might need to consider relocating."

"Where to? Pam's?"

"No, somewhere safer, Ysolt says you need the sun. Niall is looking into it; all the Sanguine safe holds are underground."

"Isa should bring her family over; we don't know if they're safe. Eric, they have to be safe!"

"I'll take care of it," he offered with a slightly guilty look that he hadn't seen to it earlier. "It will be difficult. They have their own lives, her children are nearly grown."

"This life can't come at the cost of others," I pleaded while bringing his hand over my stomach. It was so strange to suddenly feel a flutter there now where before it had just been the careful hope of an existence.

"I know," he whispered while I snuggled further into his body. "We'll do what's necessary."

"Tell me something exciting, something good."

Surprisingly he had a lot to tell; Louvelle had found love with boyfriend number five, he had plans for a nursery insisting it was a boy, but had conceded to Pam's indoctrination of pink with claims that it was distinctly the colour for boys in her time. How she managed that feat would remain a mystery to me, but I couldn't help but cheer up a little, to find a moment of happiness in these pressing times. I'd wait a little while to crush their interior decorating schemes with the sunny, yellow paint that was already waiting in the attic along with some furniture for the baby from my old family home and a few smaller pieces Isa had sent me when I first started trying to conceive, with the assumption Eric was dead, it was her permission I had sought then.

"What are you thinking?" he asked when I failed to engage with him for an extended breath.

"Contemplating that for a while now, weren't you?" I smiled up at him, and the sight of his grin was infectious to my own widening mouth.

"So what were you thinking?"

My fingers tangled with his, squeezing softly before answering honestly, "I think we should run away."

He didn't even blink or argue the thought of this selfish action that was borne for _our_ child, "When?"

"Now, yesterday?"

"Let's go."

With no more words spoken we packed, alerted Isa, and nudged a sleeping Jason awake. Without detection, we left the house that somewhere along the way had become my home but never become our child's.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm well aware this chapter ends a little abruptly, I kind of liked the suddenness of it but perhaps the reasoning for the choice E/S make in abandoning this warm nest isn't clear to some. So far this story focused heavily on the bonds that wound everyone (a little too tight together) ; Pam and her Maker's difficult relationship, their familial line and duty to each other and other species, etc. The opportunity of suddenly being without them while intended to debilitate their bloodline by unknown enemies (and no, it wasn't some novice witch cutting through a piece of red string, give me some credit here) for Eric and Sookie became an opportunity they couldn't ignore. The fallout will be explored in the next part of this tale. Thoughts and conspiracy theories welcome as ever ;)**

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	31. Chapter 31 - Ulv

_"Me too," he murmured into my hair before kissing it softly. "We might need to consider relocating."_

_"Where to? Pam's?"_

_"No, somewhere safer, Ysolt says you need the sun. Niall is looking into it; all the Sanguine safe holds are underground."_

_"Isa should bring her family over; we don't know if they're safe. Eric, they have to be safe!"_

_"I'll take care of it," he offered with a slightly guilty look that he hadn't seen to it earlier. "It will be difficult. They have their own lives, her children are nearly grown."_

_"This life can't come at the cost of others," I pleaded while bringing his hand over my stomach. It was so strange to suddenly feel a flutter there now where before it had just been the careful hope of an existence._

_"I know," he whispered while I snuggled further into his body. "We'll do what's necessary."_

_"Tell me something exciting, something good."_

_Surprisingly he had a lot to tell; Louvelle had found love with boyfriend number five, he had plans for a nursery insisting it was a boy, but had conceded to Pam's indoctrination of pink with claims that it was distinctly the colour for boys in her time. How she managed that feat would remain a mystery to me, but I couldn't help but cheer up a little, to find a moment of happiness in these pressing times. I'd wait a little while to crush their interior decorating schemes with the sunny, yellow paint that was already waiting in the attic along with some furniture for the baby from my old family home and a few smaller pieces Isa had sent me when I first started trying to conceive, with the assumption Eric was dead, it was her permission I had sought then._

_"What are you thinking?" he asked when I failed to engage with him for an extended breath._

_"Contemplating that for a while now, weren't you?" I smiled up at him, and the sight of his grin was infectious to my own widening mouth._

_"So what were you thinking?"_

_My fingers tangled with his, squeezing softly before answering honestly, "I think we should run away."_

_He didn't even blink or argue the thought of this selfish action that was borne for our child, "When?"_

_"Now, yesterday?"_

_"Let's go."_

_With no more words spoken we packed, alerted Isa, and nudged a sleeping Jason awake. Without detection, we left the house that somewhere along the way had become my home but never become our child's._

**Part II**

Chapter 31 - Ulv

**SPOV**

Being an asset to the government had accrued me some favours, favours I never thought I would be calling upon, but they were what had kept us safe in the end. A year on from that fateful night where in a small moment we had decided to leave everything behind, we were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Catharina Elisabet, or Lisbet, who only seemed to have eyes for her father, loving to lie upon his tepid unmoving body soundly asleep, only seeking me out in a moment of hunger or with the burden of a soiled diaper. There was no disputing to where her loyalties lay, just like her mother.

Our surroundings were boring but peaceful and that's all we cared for, far away from any true civilisation. Isa and her family lived in a hamlet not too far away, arranging for our supplies as we had need for them. Jason lived on our property, but the terrain was so expansive that if it wasn't for the meals I prepared, we'd probably barely see him as he immersed himself in hunting game, chopping wood, and fishing. Despite being so many miles away from what we once considered home, Jason found little challenge in his new surroundings.

As far as the outside world was concerned, he was the one that lived here, the eccentric and wealthy American, all by himself with the occasional female visitor. Since Jason was, well Jason. He lived in the grand house facing the road that pampered to his newly acquired tastes while we occupied the smaller hunting lodge by the lake. It suited us all fine, while I had become used to all the luxuries afforded by Eric's money, they had always remained exactly that to me, luxuries. They paled in comparison to what he meant and what Lisbet meant to us both.

We had run as far as we could, north towards the area with the longest amount of sunshine in the summer that assured us no Impurus would ever reside there permanently, the area considered too provincial for the refined tastes of the Sanguines. Nor did Isa and her family seem out of place, adapting their Swedish with ease to Norwegian. Despite my lifelong acquaintance with a forced isolation on account of my telepathy, I envied them now and then. Despite this remoteness once being a fantasy I yearned for, they could live so freely among others while we continued to hide. We knew we'd have to start making decisions for our daughter soon now that she was here. We were unsure whether she inherited the same gift, and for all intents and purposes, she seemed achingly normal. Something we both wished for her to be, but outside of our little bubble we'd never know for sure.

My 'maternity leave' would be over soon, too, knowing we'd need to continue banking favours with the human agencies of intelligence that hid us to protect our little sanctuary and from the ties that once bound us by blood. It had been a risk we were willing to take. It pained Eric greatly to leave Godric behind without a trace. In the end, we settled on a letter stating that we were safe and not to come looking for us. I fear the reaction of Pam if I ever come across her again, the betrayal must have been deep to her. Despite her natural reserve, for a long time we were each other's everything and it must have caused her great pain to be devoid of that now, never knowing my little girl that she'd doted on obsessively long on before she was born. Eric later shared with me how much Pam had given up when I was in that magically-induced coma, skirting her duties to care for me, but mostly Eric.

We'd guessed that the ties to our Fae line had been severed just like Eric and Pam had been disconnected from their familial line. Jason and I didn't know how we knew that, but we held that conviction with confidence, even between us something appeared to be missing. Eric didn't share our confidence as easily, and he only dared release his long held breath after the first month we ran away and not a 'pop' was heard. I was probably wearing the same satisfied smile as I did now when Eric finally conceded we were safe.

My satisfaction now, however, was linked to a far smaller feat; the small vegetable patch stood ready for winter and I couldn't wait to see what would grow from the ground there come spring. Lisbet babbled contentedly in the last rays of the sun from her perched seat, her face growing into a wide smile with Eric's sudden appearance. He happily ignored me for his daughter, eliciting the giggles she failed to produce with me before I noticed him stiffen with the sudden presence in the bushes.

"Relax," I informed, sensing the animal at quite a distance from us while continuing to clear away the gardening supplies. "Local wildlife, it's about time we get inside anyhow."

He nodded, but remained wary, as I pulled Lisbet from him, knowing it was time for her to be fed no matter how fussy she was being about leaving her father's arms. That's when I cursed myself for my afforded comfort and disarmed stance as we were greeted with profanities expelled in rapid French. Without thought I started to run towards the safety of the house, pulling Eric along when all he could do was exhibit a mortified stare in the other direction. The fear fell away from me with sudden recognition, and I didn't hesitate to cover the naked pubescent girl with the blanket I had used to rest my knees on while gardening while she continued to scream and shout indignantly at him, the foreign terms vaguely familiar to me, arms flailing wildly as she went.

"Hush now," I urged, sensing Lisbet was becoming more and more upset with the unfamiliar newcomer who stood in complete contrast to all the peace and quiet in which we existed. "You're frightening my daughter."

"It is a girl?" she suddenly squealed with that characteristic French lisp to her English.

"Louvelle, meet Lisbet," Eric spoke softly while lowering our daughter to the teenager's appreciation whose anger seemed to melt away with the sight.

"She is so tiny, and her smell it is so strong of both of you," Louvelle gushed while gently caressing her fat red cheeks with the back of her finger. With a truly wolfish grin she declared, "A real Northman."

"Larsson now," Eric noted proudly, despite hating the name that was assigned to us, something about never meeting a Larsson he liked. We even had to forego naming our daughter after any recognisable name that could trace her back to us. It had taken some adjusting to the fact that nowhere in her name would we be able to recognise her as Adele's great-granddaughter or any of Eric's relatives. He had come up with Catharina in an acknowledgement of his Sanguine state as it was derived from the Greek word for 'pure' and Elisabet spelled as the locals of our new home would after the ship that had carried us across the ocean, a mode of transport Isa had insisted upon, considering the troubles I had already experienced with my health. The leisurely travel had done us well despite my discomfort of being on such a large body of water for so long, every nautical mile that passed allowed us to relax more and more and my pregnancy had continued without a single complication.

"Let's go inside," I urged, sensing the cold would soon set in with the disappearance of the sun to warm the land. I had long since checked her thoughts to know she was harmless. Like most Weres, she projected hers visually with a whirl of emotions, and from them, despite the language barrier, I knew that she had come here on her own; having told her father she was on a school trip while a friend of hers had covered for her assuming a boy was involved. However, I wasn't able to ascertain how she, with the scarcest resources in the world, had been _the_ one to find us.

After feeding the baby and putting her down in her crib, I found them in hushed tones discussing things while pouring over the many images Eric had captured of Lisbet and I with his pencil, while Louvelle eyed them critically, telling him how to improve, and correcting his hold on the instrument with an annoyed huff that told me this wasn't the first time she had given this particular piece of advice.

"Perhaps you should recover Louvelle's clothes from wherever she left them," I pointed out while serving out the autumn stew that had been simmering in the warm oven all day while the girl shifted nervously in my oversized clothes. With a nod and an approximate location Eric disappeared into the night. I had dreaded the onset of darkness for a while now, it meant more time spent indoors as I had promised not to leave the house with Lisbet during those hours with the possibility of a lost Impurus that had occasionally wandered into the area in the past. It was overkill, we both knew it, but Lisbet had forced us to a caution we were unaware we possessed; love had become redefined with a child in our lives. We thought we knew fear before but when it came to our daughter, we finally understood the gravity and responsibility of guarding her against the world. Ultimately, it had forced us to live in the obscure, a place of strange comfort and unease.

Louvelle didn't let her poor grasp of English deter her from questioning me in Eric's absence about all manner of things, some of which I answered, others I refused, but for the most part, I couldn't. She huffed and puffed about it now and then, but quickly changed tack as she voraciously asked more questions while downing the stew with gusto while I wondered what was taking Eric so long, not one to take his time when it was this time of night.

We were interrupted by the cries of Lisbet and curiously Louvelle followed me to the nursery upstairs that was next to our small bedroom. In comparison to where Jason resided, the house was modest and could use some work, but it had us perfectly content despite the fact we were running out of places to put things for Lisbet.

"How did you find us, Louvelle?" I asked when she was deemed sufficiently pliant by Lisbet's gurgles while she carefully held her and cooed.

"It wasn't very hard," she shrugged. "I know his scent, like my own family. I could always scent it in the wind the moment you stepped on European shores. All I had to do was find the opportunity and follow my nose."

"As a wolf?"

"Of course," she shrugged while rocking the baby in her arms with gentle ease.

"Can others?" I asked with a sudden panic. Alcide had, in my employ, revealed much about the Were community, but I had never heard of their skills being this highly evolved.

"Of course not," Louvelle scoffed. "My mother was the last of an ancient line of thoroughbreds, tied to the Aurelies by blood. He may be disconnected to them by bond, but it will always be their blood that courses through his veins and yours," she nodded at Lisbet with reverence, "and hers."

My heart fell in my stomach with this information, wondering how quickly we'd have to leave this time, to an even more remote place where we had no chance of even comprehending the language. Surely this time we'd have to leave on our own, Isa and her family no longer necessary to see a risky pregnancy through. Perhaps Jason would come along, but it would probably be safer if he didn't.

"Don't worry," she quipped before gently placing a lulled Lisbet into her crib. "I am the only one that can track you and no one knows I can. My father suspects, of course, for my mother was the last one that could, but I kept still."

"Quiet," I whispered in correction while I guided her out of the bedroom, leaving our daughter with a night light for company.

"Yes, Lisbet is very quiet."

"No-" I attempted to explain the difference between still and quiet, but a knock on the door with the sense of a familiar void interrupted us. It wouldn't be the first time he forgot his keys in haste. Despite the remote area and it being one of the safest in the world, we had been diligent from day one, locking every window and door carefully. Without caution, however, I flung open the door, letting the cool air come in along with the cold-blooded creature I hadn't been expecting to see push against the barrier of my threshold uninvited.

That familiar Southern drawl expelled with ease, as did the malicious grin tipped with pearly white fangs, greeting me as if we were long lost neighbours, "Evenin', Ms. Stackhouse. Why don't you invite me in?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So ehm… yeah… remember who was dead and isn't dead… I'll be hiding in msbuffy's basement but maybe your lovely thoughts will bring me out… just maybe. Look a baby! A wolf! Wait that doesn't sound very safe…**

**Many thanks to msbuffy and her editing work on this. She's a real lifesaver :D**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: A little FYI, I have chosen to forego the alternating POV in this story, I felt it was too limiting. Perhaps at some point in the future I will alter the previous chapters into the third person narrative.**

_We were interrupted by the cries of Lisbet and curiously Louvelle followed me to the nursery upstairs that was next to our small bedroom. In comparison to where Jason resided, the house was modest and could use some work, but it had us perfectly content despite the fact we were running out of places to put things for Lisbet. _

_"How did you find us, Louvelle?" I asked when she was deemed sufficiently pliant by Lisbet's gurgles while she carefully held her and cooed. _

_"It wasn't very hard," she shrugged. "I know his scent, like my own family. I could always scent it in the wind the moment you stepped on European shores. All I had to do was find the opportunity and follow my nose."_

_"As a wolf?"_

_"Of course," she shrugged while rocking the baby in her arms with gentle ease. _

_"Can others?" I asked with a sudden panic. Alcide had, in my employ, revealed much about the Were community, but I had never heard of their skills being this highly evolved._

_"Of course not," Louvelle scoffed. "My mother was the last of an ancient line of thoroughbreds, tied to the Aurelies by blood. He may be disconnected to them by bond, but it will always be their blood that courses through his veins and yours," she nodded at Lisbet with reverence, "and hers."_

_My heart fell in my stomach with this information, wondering how quickly we'd have to leave this time, to an even more remote place where we had no chance of even comprehending the language. Surely this time we'd have to leave on our own, Isa and her family no longer necessary to see a risky pregnancy through. Perhaps Jason would come along, but it would probably be safer if he didn't._

_"Don't worry," she quipped before gently placing a lulled Lisbet into her crib. "I am the only one that can track you and no one knows I can. My father suspects, of course, for my mother was the last one that could, but I kept still."_

_"Quiet," I whispered in correction while I guided her out of the bedroom, leaving our daughter with a night light for company. _

_"Yes, Lisbet is very quiet."_

_"No-" I attempted to explain the difference between still and quiet, but a knock on the door with the sense of a familiar void interrupted us. It wouldn't be the first time he forgot his keys in haste. Despite the remote area and it being one of the safest in the world, we had been diligent from day one, locking every window and door carefully. Without caution, however, I flung open the door, letting the cool air come in along with the cold-blooded creature I hadn't been expecting to see push against the barrier of my threshold uninvited. _

_That familiar Southern drawl expelled with ease, as did the malicious grin tipped with pearly white fangs, greeting me as if we were long lost neighbours, "Evenin', Ms. Stackhouse. Why don't you invite me in?"_

**Chapter 32 – Hello, Goodbye**

The familiar name escaped her in a gasp as it corresponded with the one before her. Sookie wasn't quite sure whether to be frightened or delighted. Thankfully, it was Eric who appeared out of nowhere with great speed and flight, equally as unrestrained about seeing the vampire in question, kissing her forehead affectionately, utilising her sudden position in his arms while she looked, suitably, alarmed. She looked even more so when Sookie engulfed the former ice queen in a great, big hug between them, leaving her nowhere to go in this affection sandwich. It hadn't registered with Sookie until that exact moment how much Eric had given up in terms of leaving his Sanguine family, how much he had missed that connection, and how much more of himself he seemed than when it was just the two of them, three with Lisbet now.

"I missed you, Stackhouse," she whispered so quietly causing Sookie to burst into profuse tears, part hormones, but mostly genuine cries of sorrow and delight.

"Me too, Pam," she returned warmly. "How did you find us?"

"Wolf girl over there," she grinned with a flippant gesture. "Knew she'd make a move eventually."

"You followed me!" the girl in question cried in outrage, only to be returned with an unimpressed shrug. "It's not possible! I would have sensed you!"

"Yes, you would, Sniffer Extraordinaire, hence the chip."

"Chip?!"

"Don't look so outraged, little bitch. Good little doggies get them all the time," she dismissed. "Now where is the little munchkin?"

"Pam, are you here alone?" Sookie asked carefully, stepping back, the natural threshold that barred the vampiress entry into their home suddenly wielded as a weapon against her, in protection of Lisbet. Another tear trickled down Sookie's face with how much her life had changed, there was happiness, but their world had become so small and it pained her to think that Pam would possibly have to remain a satellite outside of it for the nucleus of their tightly knit family of three to continue to exist.

"Of course," she answered in a tone that revealed nothing, but Sookie could discern the hurt nonetheless. They remained silent, and it was a deeply unnerving thing when one species breathed heavily and the other didn't. Eyes shifted nervously from one to another before almost inaudibly Sookie offered, "Pam, please come in."

oOoOoOo

"You are sure you can trust her?" Louvelle demanded while Eric placed her things on the dresser of the small guest room. They knew better than to offer it to Pam, most likely she had her own lavish abode set up nearby and if not, Jason's mansion was far better suited to her tastes than their small home.

"Yes," Eric replied so certainly it even startled him with its definitive claim.

"I'm sorry I brought her here," she said timidly, her face becoming obscured by the heavy curtain of her thick and straight hair, as sharply edged as the girl herself.

"We lasted longer than we thought," Eric offered with an encouraging pat to her shoulder. "We knew it was only a matter of time, and we made the time we had count. Perhaps, like you, all Pam wants is to see us."

"And Lisbet," Louvelle added with a smile.

"Yes," he beamed, hiding the fear that that statement inspired well from the teenaged girl. "Everyone wants to see Lisbet."

"Eric," she whispered when he was at the door, ready to turn off the light after bidding her goodnight. "Monsieur Godric, he misses you very much. He doesn't say much, but then he never did. Now he says even less."

He closed the door, but instead of standing outside of it he returned to the stool by the bed. It was laughable at how oversized he was for it, but neither one had the spirit to laugh in that moment. "Has he talked with you?" he asked tentatively, but she shook her head. The only friendship she had ever pursued with a vampire was the one she was with now. Godric, despite his appearance, had always seemed so old to her and the wisdom he carried intrigued, but never attracted.

"What was your plan, Louvelle?" he asked with a sigh. Eric hadn't planned on having this conversation until she had at least a good night's sleep, but he had recently become a father and that had brought him a new perspective.

"I just wanted to see Lisbet," she sniffed. "I just…"

He smiled, Louvelle was never the one grasping for words even when they weren't speaking in her native French. She always knew exactly what to say.

"It's okay to miss someone," he soothed. "I missed you, too."

"I'm sure you did," she grinned widely, her natural bravado returning to the forefront. "It's a miracle Sookie is still with you without my guidance."

"I do quite well on my own," he grinned after a demonstration of mock outrage that sent her to a fit of giggles. "However, I'm sure I'll do much better now that you are here."

"Naturellement," she said before burying herself further under the covers, a dopey and very tired smile pressing into her pillow. "It's why I came after all."

oOoOoOo

"That is just unnatural," Pam scrutinised, "They can't be that big."

"It's just milk," Sookie shrugged, causing the baby on her breast to cry out in protest for the mild disturbance. "She likes you," she smiled when Lisbet instantly calmed with a touch from Pam over the down hairs of her cheeks.

"Of course she does!" Pam huffed, letting her cool fingers linger, "Everybody likes me!"

"Stop trying to cop a feel," Eric warned as he anticipated the calculated move Pam's hands were making towards Sookie's breast. She feigned innocence, but it was hardly convincing anyone, including a sceptic Lisbet who eyed her warily from the envious spot that suckled Sookie's breast.

"How long till the rest show up?" Eric asked, sensing Sookie's tiredness.

Pam laughed, but it wasn't a very genuine display. It was one he recognised that came into play often in her court, meant to put her audience at ease while simultaneously heightening them to alert. "Do not delude yourselves," she said. "They know exactly where you are. It is simply convenient for them now. When it is no longer convenient…"

They fell silent, Sookie worried as she often did, and it caused Lisbet to fuss once more, though a kiss from Eric to her head caused her to calm again, still the ill ease of her parents had yet to lift with the tense atmosphere.

"I forget you are so young sometimes," Pam sighed. "There is little that's your own now, little that you control. Even the things you think you control, you don't. You are here, safe and undisturbed, because _they_ allow it. The fact they haven't shown up is a sign that they approve."

"You know because they have told you this?" Eric asked with suspicion.

"Eric," Pam returned gently, as if he were but a child. "I know this because I have lived this way for so long. It is a great gift to be an Aurelie, but nothing is gratis."

"No," Sookie whimpered in protest, and found it impossible to stem the stream escaping the corners of her eyes, stinging as they went. "Lisbet is ours. They cannot take her."

"No matter what her name, she is a Brigant, she is an Aurelie," Pam said stoically. Sookie had recognised that tone instantly. It was the official voice Pam had taken whenever she laid down one of her judgements in her Queendom.

"Are you here to take her?"

"No," she said with a reassuring shake of her head. "Unlike her, for now I am not an Aurelie. I am no longer my Maker's Childe."

"Pam, I'm so sorry," Sookie whispered, sensing the distress of that confession. She handed off a rather full Lisbet to Eric who made sure to shield Sookie as she recovered her breast. "What happened?"

"It is not so bad," she lied as Sookie came to sit beside her. An informing glance made Eric disappear with their daughter to their bedroom, though all knew he would be able to overhear exactly what was being said, but the semblance of privacy was enough for Pam to divulge further. "I left the night after you did."

"What about Kristian?"

"What about him?"

"Pam," Sookie exhaled with worry. "You don't have to pretend with me."

"What is there to pretend?" she said, purposefully devoid of any emotion. The cool business tone was unnerving, but equally settling since it was so quintessentially Pam. "They took my crown as a precaution, and I didn't want to stick around to be humiliated further."

"Was it because of us, our disappearance?"

"Not everything is about you," she answered in a clipped tone. "Without the tie to my Maker there was no assurance of loyalty. Of course it was easier to inform the public that I was not running the territory to standard, that my inability to act effectively with the attacks was ending my reign."

"They disowned you like that?"

"I left before they could, it was for the best."

"I don't believe that," Sookie said. "Kristian wouldn't do that to you. Have you spoken to him since?" She shook her head, confirming what Sookie had assumed. "He has reached out to you, yes?" Another nod, another confirmation. "It'll be okay, Pam," she soothed while gently rubbing her back. Sookie honestly couldn't remember ever seeing Pam this vulnerable, it was very much like Eric earlier in the night when he had latched onto Pam. Whether they felt the blood of their family inside them or not, the kinship and the loss of it left them mourning something they had always taken for granted and left them flailing without.

"What really happened, Pam?" Sookie pressed. "With you and Kristian?"

She stared at her with annoyance, a tersely-held brow communicated the former vampire queen was not in the mood to divulge a thing. "Come on, Pam."

"He told me he loved me!" she finally growled out, incensed, making Sookie rather unsure whether it was for the coerced confession of the statement. "The nerve of him!"

Sookie stared at her dumbly, "This is a bad thing, why?"

"He ruined everything!"

The telepath could only stare in disbelief. Pam had some odd notions that were in part motivated by her upbringing and rearing as a Sanguine, but she was failing to grasp her thwarted logic.

Pam huffed with exasperation, "Of course you wouldn't understand, you're so young."

"Try to explain it to me," she said gently, suppressing her need to roll her eyes at being too damned young to understand what amounted to Pam and her idiosyncrasies.

"He told me he loved me," Pam repeated, "He all but spelled out the end. He killed whatever was left of us."

"I don't understand."

"Think about it, where do you go from there? We're not mortal, there is no growing old together. Love isn't made for eternity. Once you've said it there's nowhere left to go but down."

"You're just being cynical," Sookie dismissed.

"As long as one of us never said it, the possibility was there. Now it's gone. We had forever and now it's marked by time. The moment is lost, we can never be what we were."

"But you can be something more," Sookie encouraged. "Eric and I, we're in such different places from where we started, and yeah, it was more exciting and new in the beginning, but still I prefer to have what we have now."

"You have a little breather that binds you," Pam pointed out. "You two are anything but ordinary, pining for years as you both did. Kristian risked something for a moment, moments don't matter when time isn't a limit. What's to come is what matters, it's where hope resides." A single tear trickled from the corner of her eye, and surprisingly, she let it travel in Sookie's presence. She knew Pam held a particular disdain for bodily contact, but she ignored it and moved in for a hug, holding her as she sobbed quietly. "He took the hope of us."

"I don't think he meant it like that," Sookie assured. "I think he risked it all for a moment to endure."

"It doesn't matter now," Pam sighed, her composure restored. "It's the past, and the past is of no interest to a Sanguine. The future is all that matters now."

Sookie nodded, fully aware that all she and Eric had been doing for the past year was denying this very thing, living day by day in denial of what was to come. Sympathetically Pam squeezed her hand with a kind smile, "Don't worry. I'll call him, _for you,_" she offered with an eye roll. "She's your future and you need to know what to expect.

Cautiously she smiled back, a tension that had followed her from the moment they disappeared into the night finally relenting with Pam's assuring words that all would be well. "Thanks, Pam."

Later in bed when it was just the two of them, Lisbet and Louvelle both snoring happily, and Pam unquestioningly having installed herself as Lady of the Manor, bumping Jason from his master bedroom in the process, Sookie couldn't help but be compelled by guilt. "I'm sorry," she whispered into the dark, causing Eric to regard her with curiosity. She said it often, for the smallest things, and usually it wasn't her fault, just her innate politeness kicking in. Before he could ask what she was sorry for she had already begun to answer, "It was so selfish, Eric, I took my family with me and what I thought was yours. I'm sorry, we should have stayed."

"No," he said, bundling her in his arms. "We did the right thing, maybe not for everyone, but we did the right thing for Lisbet. We did the right thing for us."

"You think Pam is right? That they know exactly where we are and they're just letting us be till it no longer suits them?"

"Maybe," he said before falling to a whisper of resignation, "Probably."

oOoOoOo

Louvelle's excitement around them didn't last long when her father's disapproving gaze fell upon her the following day. Eric hadn't hesitated for long, forcing the young wolf to contact her father and she remained temperamental with the betrayal, but neither had expected her father to show up so quickly. Her supposed indignation had diminished quickly when they saw who had accompanied him. It shouldn't have come at a surprise, but somehow it had.

"Eric," his Maker had barely whispered, containing the same sense of disappointment in the two syllables as carried by Louvelle's father. Instinctively he swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing, suspended somewhere between terror and contained joy with the impromptu reunion.

"Godric," Sookie greeted with a sense of unease. She shifted nervously on her feet, unsure how to act as neither party was quick to volunteer any further spoken word. "Please come in."

"Your home is lovely," he commented, polite as always; however, in this instance the gesture appeared perfunctory rather than genuine.

The silence indoors contrasted heavily with that outside, where a worried parent expressed his anxiety the only way he knew, yelling loudly and with a healthy dose of profanity till Louvelle understood the gravity of her actions. Neither responded especially well.

"Would you like to meet your granddaughter?" Eric asked, the first words he dared speak since coming under the sudden gaze of his lost Maker.

"Granddaughter?" Again expressed no louder than a whisper.

"Is that not the correct term?" Eric asked with worry, Sookie's hand coming instinctively to the small of his back to ease his nerves.

"I suppose she is," Godric finally acknowledged after letting the silence linger on beyond comfortable once more. "We are somewhat in unchartered territories, however, yes, she is assuredly _mine."_

They were spared another awkward silence as Louvelle's indignant cry pierced sharply through the heavy atmosphere, setting off the cries of Lisbet simultaneously. Sookie returned swiftly with the crying infant, but not even Eric's calming influence seemed to soothe her temper while Godric observed them with curiosity.

"May I?" he asked as he watched the two become more and more frantic with their inability to calm Lisbet. Without hesitation Eric placed her in his Maker's arms, only noticing Sookie's fear-filled eyes after the fact, the word 'mine' having taken a different interpretation to both, a very vocal appropriation and possession to Sookie while to Eric it represented belonging and family. "There, there, little one," Godric cooed gently, shocking them both with the ease at which he calmed the girl whose wet eyes locked on the gentle face as it softened for her, something both Eric and Sookie were unaccustomed to detect in the ancient vampire. "Help is here."

They watched with poorly held breaths as their daughter calmed, locking onto the curious gaze with her own, the tears gently wiped from her eyes gently as if she were the most fragile thing in the world.

"Are you taking her from us?" Sookie managed to choke out with wet eyes, her entwined hand clasping hard into Eric's hold for added strength. Godric looked up in surprise, only sensing their mood of terror then.

"No," he answered with an added shake of his head for emphasis. "A child should not be without its parent."

"_Parent_?" Eric asked hesitantly, emphasising the singular.

"You must excuse me," Godric said with a hint of a smile, though it seemed reserved solely for the child in his arms and not the ones to whom he was speaking. "I have been a vampire for so long, we have but one Maker."

"We're sorry we ran-" Sookie started.

"You did well in running," Godric interrupted. "You even did well in staying hidden."

"Until now," Eric finished, voicing the unspoken end of his statement. His shoulders slumped with the realisation why Godric looked on them so severely, their much fought for independence was coming to an end and it was something his Maker mourned for him, for them. His deep disapproval lay in the fact that they had given it up for a teachable moment for the young were who was being berated outside. "I'm sorry."

"I need no apologies," Godric noted with a clipped tone that suggested otherwise.

"We did what we thought best," Sookie offered.

He nodded in what one could be supposed was an agreement. "I had hoped for a boy," he said, meeting her eyes again. "For your sakes."

Neither one was well-versed enough to understand exactly what he had meant by that. The Supernatural were typically not that obsessed with patriarchy, but neither Eric nor Sookie were well-versed enough as to why Lisbet's sex was of such importance to Godric.

"You will want Aelia as her godmother."

"We were thinking more along the lines of Pam and Isa-"

"Trust me," he interjected. "You will _want _Aelia."

"Very well," Eric acquiesced, causing Sookie to gasp involuntarily, announcing a conversation would be had over this decisive pronouncement.

"You may be her grandfather, but those decisions will be down to Eric and me!" Sookie countered with indignation.

"I am merely advising," Godric shrugged, seemingly unimpressed by her protest. "It will be of utmost importance to consider those you trust from now on."

"I don't trust you, Godric," Sookie spoke evenly, seemingly finding no reaction in Godric.

Lisbet's hand clenched into a small fist around Godric's pinkie and he took an extended moment to observe the gesture before raising his eyes again to meet the heated gaze of her mother, "That is probably be wise." He placed a soft peck to Lisbet's forehead before placing her back in Sookie's arms.

"I will return tomorrow," he announced while moving towards the front door, his eyes finding those of his Childe. "It is unlikely that I will be alone."

"Goodbye, Godric," Eric spoke softly, with a sense of finality, before closing the door on him and with another sigh, rested his weary head against the wood of the door before turning his gaze on Sookie and Lisbet, "Where do go we from here?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So at least it wasn't Bill at the door, but as for the rest of it… I know it's looking a little bleak but it appears politician Godric is kinda sorta in their corner and well Pam has a munchkin to dress… now she just need to get her head out of her ass with that Maker of hers… **

**Many thanks to msbuffy for her everlasting patience through my writer's woes... **


	33. Chapter 33

"_We're sorry we ran-" Sookie started._

"_You did well in running," Godric interrupted. "You even did well in staying hidden."_

"_Until now," Eric finished, voicing the unspoken end of his statement. His shoulders slumped with the realisation why Godric looked on them so severely, their much fought for independence was coming to an end and it was something his Maker mourned for him, for them. His deep disapproval lay in the fact that they had given it up for a teachable moment for the young were who was being berated outside. "I'm sorry."_

"_I need no apologies," Godric noted with a clipped tone that suggested otherwise. _

"_We did what we thought best," Sookie offered. _

_He nodded in what one could be supposed was an agreement. "I had hoped for a boy," he said, meeting her eyes again. "For your sakes."_

_Neither one was well-versed enough to understand exactly what he had meant by that. The Supernatural were typically not that obsessed with patriarchy, but neither Eric nor Sookie were well-versed enough as to why Lisbet's sex was of such importance to Godric._

"_You will want Aelia as her godmother."_

"_We were thinking more along the lines of Pam and Isa-"_

"_Trust me," he interjected. "You will __want __Aelia."_

"_Very well," Eric acquiesced, causing Sookie to gasp involuntarily, announcing a conversation would be had over this decisive pronouncement._

"_You may be her grandfather, but those decisions will be down to Eric and me!" Sookie countered with indignation. _

"_I am merely advising," Godric shrugged, seemingly unimpressed by her protest. "It will be of utmost importance to consider those you trust from now on."_

"_I don't trust you, Godric," Sookie spoke evenly, seemingly finding no reaction in Godric._

_Lisbet's hand clenched into a small fist around Godric's pinkie and he took an extended moment to observe the gesture before raising his eyes again to meet the heated gaze of her mother, "That is probably be wise." He placed a soft peck to Lisbet's forehead before placing her back in Sookie's arms. _

"_I will return tomorrow," he announced while moving towards the front door, his eyes finding those of his Childe. "It is unlikely that I will be alone."_

"_Goodbye, Godric," Eric spoke softly, with a sense of finality, before closing the door on him and with another sigh, rested his weary head against the wood of the door before turning his gaze on Sookie and Lisbet, "Where do go we from here?"_

**Chapter 33 - Roman Holiday**

The contrast couldn't be starker while they left behind their simple lodgings with bags that had always remained packed for Pam's very pink and very luxurious jet. "We're heading to the big leagues now," the proud owner explained at length, noticeably the only chipper passenger aboard. "My old kingdom isn't even considered a province, a practice ground if you will. Nothing like Rome and the old territories."

Sookie nodded with a modicum of enthusiasm, Lisbet struggling in her arms in favour of her father. Eric tried not to look too smug when she finally relented and handed the baby over to his care.

"Rome is where it all happens," Pam prattled on. "All the families hold their seats in the Grand Assembly. Aelia has been parading Oren around with little apology, and the other houses have not failed to notice. There is talk more are coming; the entire town seems to talk of nothing but the Fae." Sookie smiled weakly, not that it mattered to Pam who was already mentally preparing her wardrobe for their next destination, "You're going to love it in Rome, Sookie. The drinks, the men, the shops! Have you ever been, Eric?"

"It was part of his training, just as it was yours," Godric answered on his behalf, quieting Pam instantly, and ending all further conversation through the warning tone in his voice. His stoic face had stood in a continued stance of disappointment from the moment he encountered the small family unit exactly where they left him. The missing bond was not necessary to communicate that he would rather have seen them flee again, that despite his best efforts they would not heed his covert advice.

Abruptly Pam stood up, wiping away imaginary crumbs from her lap before announcing, "Your hair looks awful! It's getting cut!"

"Pam, no!" Sookie protested, a high altitude haircut delivered by someone who mostly practiced on her Barbies seeming anything but a good idea, however, Pam had already successfully dragged her from her seat and she meekly followed her into the back bedroom.

"Relax," she grinned as soon as the door closed on them. "I wanted to get away from buzzkill. Like I'd cut your hair on a plane! I'm not a complete savage!" Sookie let out a small sigh of relief, settling herself on the pink canopy bed before being alarmed again by Pam's next sentence, "I'll wait until we hit the tarmac."

Pam seated herself at the elaborate vanity, setting out her tools of 'torture,' and then touched up the colour of her lips that needed no colouring, the monotony of the task amusing her.

"Why does Godric insist on Aelia being Lisbet's godmother?" Sookie asked while observing Pam's practiced movement in the reflection of the mirror.

"She's female, born of a female," Pam shrugged.

"That doesn't exactly answer my question," Sookie replied. "Is it just because Aelia's the oldest of you ancient lot?"

"My guess," the vampiress mused aloud, setting the lipstick down and turning to look at Sookie, "Like all ancient lines, women hold more power than men. Before the time of DNA testing they could claim royal lineage no matter what, blood is what matters after all and when you're as promiscuous as most Supernaturals, the blood is always there in the female line, men can't claim the same. Your great-grandfather is a Prince in charge of an entire realm, _not_ as King, and I sincerely doubt he's waiting for his father to kick the bucket at his age. Niall only ever had sons."

"It's a matriarchy?"

"Duh," Pam replied with an eye roll. "And they haven't exactly been breeding well for the last couple of centuries. You and Lisbet are a godsend that keeps him in power while he's alive. You're the evidence of legacy, something his rivals clearly lack."

"Momma was human though," she said with a frown. "Your theory doesn't quite add up."

"Repeat that first sentence to yourself," Pam retorted with an arched brow, and a huff was expelled when she failed to comprehend her point, "She was _human _and you obviously inherited a spark from your Royal Faery father who also had a _human _mother_. _That whole Faery hybrid thing is a strategist-cum-breeder's dream! Your lineage is very clear even without all the administration Royalty usually demands. The humans are simply vessels for the male line, incubators, if you will."

"What about Fintan's mom?" Sookie asked, the thought worrying her more than she liked.

"Human," Pam answered monotonously. "You'd almost think the Faery Prince had planned it all."

"Maybe he has," Sookie whispered. "It almost appears engineered to overthrow a matriarchal power structure, or at the very least, circumvent one."

"Maybe, maybe not," she shrugged. "Either way, it doesn't appear they care that much about tradition anymore. They're taking anything they can get by the sound of it."

A soft knock interrupted their conversation, Louvelle inching herself in through the door, muttering, "It's scary quiet in there." Pam scrunched her nose slightly, receiving a warning glare from Sookie in the process not to reiterate her tirade about taking the two smelly Weres along with them and 'stinking' up her precious plane. Sookie felt it only right that Louvelle and her father be returned home safely in the same plane after they were dropped off in Rome.

Sookie patted for Louvelle to sit beside her, daring Pam to comment. "You and your dad okay again, hon?" Louvelle nodded as if her father's emotional outburst hours ago was a complete non-issue, which to her teenage mind it was, and seated herself crossed-legged on the designated spot, digging up a bag of snacks out of the deep pockets of her jacket.

"Sookie! She can't eat… there!" Pam hissed with wide eyes, causing Louvelle to hover the salty snack inches from her mouth in confusion.

The telepath rolled her eyes, addressing the young girl and vicariously, Pam, "Don't listen to her. Eat wherever you like."

She nodded and carried on undisturbed, the freaked-out vampiress only just managing to swallow the shriek of horror when Louvelle started talking, food half-chewed and spewing semi-regurgitated crumbs over the sumptuous silk covers, "Think you can convince Papa to take us along on your Roman Holiday?"

"It's not much of a holiday," Sookie replied with a sigh, patting the girl's knee, "besides, I don't think your dad wants to be anywhere but home."

She huffed in annoyance, crumbs flying everywhere in the process, killing what was left of Pam's limited patience. "OUT!" she shrieked, "You! You filthy animal!"

"Pam!" Sookie intervened, taking the girl in protection instantly.

"Why does Eric like that little mutt?" she seethed. "It's unnatural!"

"I am no mutt! My mother had more class and pedigree than you could ever hope to achieve!" Louvelle growled. "_Putain!"_

"Stop it! Both of you!" Sookie cried out as fangs and fur threatened to escalate the situation into a full-out brawl. "Louvelle, calm down! Pam, stop taking it out on her!"

"Take what out on her?" she posed innocently, convincing no one in the room that she was especially tense and irritable, masking it with her continued prattle. Eric had wasted no time, bursting through the lightweight door, quickly followed by Godric and Louvelle's father.

"Sorry, Pam's not herself right now," Sookie whispered, urging a clearly upset Louvelle out of the room and into Eric's arms while Godric took careful possession of Lisbet. "Pam!" she admonished when the door was closed again.

"What? The girl is vile!"

"Pam," Sookie repeated in an eerily calm tone, scaring herself with how much she sounded like her Gran in that moment. "You'll apologise to her, she's just a girl."

"Fine!" she pouted. "Only because it's you."

"What is this really about? Kristian?"

She nodded reluctantly, her face scrunching up in annoyance at the sound of her Maker's name, "We called. He'll be waiting for us at the air strip," she informed succinctly, her tone soon falling sardonic again, "I'm so looking forward to it."

"What did you guys say?" Sookie asked softly, only receiving a shrug in response. "Pam?"

"He was being his cold, distant self."

"And you?" she asked with an arched brow. "Were you being your cold distant self?"

"Maybe," she pouted, causing Sookie to laugh at the ancient emotional mess before her. "It's not funny!"

"Come on," Sookie giggled. "It's kind of funny."

"Fuck!" she growled. "Why does he have to be such an ass?"

"Because he loves you," Sookie smiled, relieved to see something akin to it was tugging at the corners of Pam's mouth, "and you love him."

"I do not!"

Sookie rolled her eyes, getting up from the bed and pulling the defensive vampire into a reluctant hug, only just managing to swat away a wandering hand as it neared her breast in time. "There's nothing wrong with it if you do," she whispered. "You know that, right?"

"What if it all goes terribly wrong?" Pam whimpered in the smallest voice Sookie had ever heard come out of the all-powerful being's mouth.

"Then you know," another voice interrupted, holding a bottle of Pam's favoured blood up in offering. "_Vivre sans aimer n'est pas proprement vivre_, 'to live without loving is to not really live'. You are too young to be this cynical," she warned with a stern face.

"This is why Eric likes her," Sookie grinned.

"I'm not exactly young," Pam snorted.

"Then you are just stupid!" Louvelle cried out, forgetting the possible wrath of the vampiress only moments ago. "You will live forever, but never dare to live a day to the full! You waste what others only wish to have! You don't deserve to be loved by him!"

"Yes, I do!" Pam growled, "I love him, the least he can do is love me!"

Louvelle triumphantly bounced on her feet, smugly adding, "I see I made my point."

"Checkmate, Little Bitch," Pam smirked. "I'm beginning to understand your appeal."

"So you will glamour my father?" she pleaded hopefully.

"I'll see what I can do."

oOoOoOo

Seatbelts were barely unfastened, the door to the outside door open in seconds, all passengers aboard had some inkling as to what was to come, making the few seconds of terse silence and held breathes last all the longer. Aelia was first to step in, followed by Kristian and Shahbaz. The loyal guard grinned at the sighting of the missing couple before escorting out the staff and two Weres, assuring them the privacy the Head of the House demanded.

Aelia's nose scrunched up when Louvelle passed, her cool hand grasping onto the dainty shoulder, "You, stay here," she ordered, causing the otherwise feisty little wolf to slink back at the radiated power. Her father gave a look of concern as it was clear he would not be staying, not daring to address the powerful Grandest Sire, and Eric offered an apologetic look before moving his daughter into a protective stance by his side before he was moved off the plane, his mind not completely at ease.

"I'd say we missed you, but that would be an understatement," Aelia spat out. "At least Pam had the decency to leave behind a trail of disarray and a clusterfuck in Brazil." The blonde vampiress smiled a little too proudly at that, receiving another angered glare from Aelia alongside an amused one from her Maker. Aelia took a deep breath, "We shall just have to let the past be the past. The stakes are high right now. It goes without saying your lack of bonds, and an inability to form any, are not something to reveal. Those who know of it are ones we can trust, those who even hint at knowing it are under suspicion, and I want to know immediately."

"Am I supposed to be here for this?" Jason yawned, shifting slightly in his plush seat. Aelia cocked her head slightly, boring into him with a penetrative gaze. "Fine," he mumbled. "I guess I stay?"

"As far as everyone is concerned_; _you two eloped," she continued, fingering the obvious pair. "The big pledging Pam over here planned wasn't up to your tastes. Wear these," she said while tossing a pair of rings and a marriage license into their lap. "Pam had a fit over your decision and lived her wild year."

"Rowr!" Jason sounded out with the help of mimed claws, landing him another annoyed glance from Aelia.

"You took your time on your honeymoon, you'll find the itinerary right there, study it, and know it as if it happened."

"What about Lisbet?" Eric asked carefully.

"The horndog's bastard," she shrugged. "Mother died while giving birth, you've been kind enough to adopt. Godric, from the kindness of his overly-generous heart, will feed her his blood to claim her as part of our family. You've come here to request my permission."

"Alcide?" Jason asked in confusion. "Why would Sookie adopt Alcide's child?"

"Jason, honey," Sookie whispered gently. "She means you."

"Oh, right yeah, I'm the horndog!" he grinned, winking at Aelia. "Maybe me and you, later?"

"The Were girl," Aelia continued pointedly, ignoring Jason, while Eric clutched Louvelle closer to his side, "She will be the child's nanny to mask any further smells. She is rather…. pungent. You are not to leave Lisbet's side. Ever."

"YES!" Louvelle cried out, throwing her fist in the air.

"Eric?" Sookie whispered, unsure what they were getting themselves into, what this would mean for the content infant snoring softly between them, conversing as if they still had a choice in the matter.

"We've come this far, there is no going back anymore," he replied, conscious of the eyes that were upon them. "It would be an honour for her to carry my Maker's blood. It is the best thing we can do for her."

"You won't split us up?" Sookie asked, wanting that assurance above anything else. "Now or ever?"

"That is not in our interest, nor for the House of Sky Fae," Aelia acknowledged. "We have come to the agreement that your child stands in place of the bond."

"What if Lisbet-" Sookie started, unable to even finish the sentence, let alone contemplate the thought of Lisbet no longer being alive or in their care.

"Let us hope this mess with the bonds is settled by then," Aelia replied, a hint of sympathy almost detectable in her tone.

Sookie nodded with a heavy heart, "OK."

"We've covered all for now," Aelia spoke as if time were a sudden sparse good. "Any further questions?"

"How is Staci?" Sookie asked, a thing she had often contemplated after their sudden departure.

"Dead," she shrugged. "Anything else?"

"Excuse me?" Sookie spluttered, struck with shock over the news.

"She killed herself," Godric supplied with a hint of sadness, displaying more emotion now than he had in the previous forty-eight hours. "It could not be helped, Tulla and I did our best, but her mind was too feeble to be saved or restored."

"You cared for her?" Sookie whispered, receiving a curt nod in reply. "Thank you," she said, squeezing his hand before turning her gaze back to Aelia. "Bill, he's alive. Staci's mind was altered to make us believe that. We should have left that information behind, it's just-"

"We understand," Aelia replied before whispering a low command to Shahbaz. "Thank you for informing us, this, however, doesn't mean we forget as easily."

oOoOoOo

"Aelia's really pissed at us, isn't she?" Sookie asked while Tulla cooed over the sight of Lisbet, who seemed enchanted by the soft-spoken vampiress.

"She really doesn't appreciate disloyalty," Tulla replied, searching for the rays of the sun to fall upon them in between the mature trees of Aelia's courtyard. "This little one is probably the only reason why she hasn't berated you like she would any other. Who could hate this face?"

"She's shown little interest in Lisbet," Sookie replied. "Called her nothing but ordinary before shooing us in a car."

"Ordinary babies do not receive our blood," Tulla pointed out. "She is just scared to get attached, only for you to take her away again. You should have heard her outbursts when you were nowhere to be found. Poor Shahbaz was at his wits end, no one's ever escaped his grasp like you two. You've certainly earned his admiration and definitely Aelia's."

"She has a funny way of showing it," Sookie snorted.

"Aelia sees being soft as a weakness, Pam is the same," she sighed, coming to sit beside Sookie on the wooden bench, "when it can be such a source of power."

"You seem very content," Sookie noted with a side glance at which Tulla hummed in agreement. "There is plenty to be happy about, no matter how harsh the times," she smiled, delighting herself as Lisbet babbled nonsensically in her lap.

"Godric doesn't seem to share your optimism."

"The girl," she said. "Staci, he connected to her, to her sadness. I didn't like it; he likes to torture himself with the misery of others. It follows him around, perhaps you can cheer him up, Lisbet!"

Sookie smiled, posing knowingly, "There's more to _your_ cheerfulness than Lisbet."

"Promise not to tell?" she grinned.

"I'm a telepath," Sookie winked. "I guard more secrets than I care for. Whatever it is, it's safe with me."

"I've met a wonderful man! He takes me dancing and we sing songs together! He plays the piano wonderfully, don't tell anyone, please? Not even Godric."

"Why not?"

"He's not like us," she replied in a whisper. "_They_ wouldn't approve."

"Human?" Sookie posed, receiving a shake of the head in return. "A Faery?"

"No, not Fae," she tittered.

"An Impurus?" Sookie concluded at which Tulla finally nodded shyly. "He makes you happy, right?" she asked, sharing her infectious excitement.

"So much!" Tulla replied. "Look, this is him," she beamed, pulling a carefully folded photograph from a hidden pocket.

"I'm so happy for you two," Sookie gushed while taking the photograph. It was grainy, taken in the limited light of night, folds obstructing part of his face. It didn't matter, her heart sank with the sight, and despite the poor lighting she'd recognise that self-satisfied smug anywhere, no matter how different the clothes and hairstyle. Eagerly Tulla awaited her response, "He's very handsome, Tulla, but I'm sorry, I'll have to tell Aelia. I don't know what he told you his name was, but this, this is Bill."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Awe poor Tulla… Yes the plot thickens a little further and that means dealing with Bill… again… There's a few more chapters left on this story and fully finished up on my end. I'm still trying to figure out how to schedule it all but hopefully I'll be able to update it a bit more frequently in the weeks ahead. Thoughts welcome as always!**

**Thanks to msbuffy and her work on this and for surviving the dirty little habits of a teenage werewolf (even though she did manage to get Pam's head out of her ass)!**

_Louvelle's quote in French is by Molière_


	34. Chapter 34 - Guilt

_Sookie smiled, posing knowingly, "There's more to your cheerfulness than Lisbet."_

"_Promise not to tell?" she grinned. _

"_I'm a telepath," Sookie winked. "I guard more secrets than I care for. Whatever it is, it's safe with me."_

"_I've met a wonderful man! He takes me dancing and we sing songs together! He plays the piano wonderfully, don't tell anyone, please? Not even Godric." _

"_Why not?"_

"_He's not like us," she replied in a whisper. "They wouldn't approve."_

"_Human?" Sookie posed, receiving a shake of the head in return. "A Faery?"_

"_No, not Fae," she tittered. _

"_An Impurus?" Sookie concluded at which Tulla finally nodded shyly. "He makes you happy, right?" she asked, sharing her infectious excitement. _

"_So much!" Tulla replied. "Look, this is him," she beamed, pulling a carefully folded photograph from a hidden pocket. _

"_I'm so happy for you two," Sookie gushed while taking the photograph. It was grainy, taken in the limited light of night, folds obstructing part of his face. It didn't matter, her heart sank with the sight, and despite the poor lighting she'd recognise that self-satisfied smug anywhere, no matter how different the clothes and hairstyle. Eagerly Tulla awaited her response, "He's very handsome, Tulla, but I'm sorry, I'll have to tell Aelia. I don't know what he told you his name was, but this, this is Bill."_

**Chapter 34 - Guilt**

"Tell me everything you know of this cretin," Aelia demanded while Pam, of all people, was relegated the daunting task of comforting Tulla. "Start at the beginning."

"I really don't know all that much," Sookie sighed. "He moved to Bon Temps, back into his old family home. He asked me out once, I refused, he became a little insistent about it, but I made it quite clear I wasn't interested. We were cordial after that, he promised to look out for any sign if the new owners of Gran's house ever seemed willing to move. That's all really."

"That's not all," Eric noted, causing her to regard him with confusion. Pointedly he motioned to Pam.

She shrugged unapologetically, "There was nothing cordial about it, I commanded he stay away from you. He had no other choice but to adhere. The little shit was pissing me off."

"Pam!" Sookie gasped.

"I'm not apologising," she replied coolly, uncomfortably patting Tulla with a look that conveyed she had no idea whether she was doing it right. "He was overstepping his bounds, I could have punished him far worse than I did. I wish I had."

"Your Grandmother's property," Aelia mused aloud. "This is the place of the portal I visited, correct?" Sookie nodded. "You lost it while fighting his ex-wife and no matter what price you offered they refused to sell it back?"

"Yes," Sookie whispered, "Godric was the one who managed it in the end. Something about a sorcerer?"

He nodded, "A strong spell was cast, the witch noted she'd never come across something quite like it."

"We're such fools," Aelia laughed melancholically. "All this time our gazes have been directed at each other, at the Impurus. This isn't about us at all."

"I don't understand," Oren posed, "What is it about then?"

"You," she shrugged, "Faeries, but more specifically _her_."

"Lisbet?" Sookie gasped with worry.

"No, you," Aelia said with a shake of her head. "How did we not see this before, this is personal. We're just the scenery to your tale. Bill was sent by someone, seeing that he lacks the finesse to be the mastermind of this all. Whose shit list are you on?"

"Freyda?" Sookie tried, regarding Eric carefully, "Could it be her?"

"No," Pam interjected. "The woman can barely string two sentences together, let alone possess the knowledge about the Supernatural to be in the driving seat of this. Since we're in full disclosure, I've had that cunt tracked from the moment we became friends, and I would've known if she was up to anything."

"I don't know who else it could be," Sookie sighed. "I'm not a vindictive person."

"A disgruntled ex, a wronged neighbour, someone from your past, maybe? It could have been anything, it could be something small," Godric tried, remembering the tiny spats of his long existence that had snowballed far too often.

"No," she replied, "Aside from Freyda I've never been on bad terms with anybody."

"Someone from that swamp town of yours?" Pam posed. "You didn't exactly share the wealth like they would have liked and they always treated you like shit. How about the mooning shifter who doesn't know where to roll his tongue when he's around you?"

"Not Sam! Or any of them, their minds would have betrayed them," Sookie countered. "If what Aelia assumes is true, it's been going on for a long time, longer than we were even aware there were such things as vampires, Weres, and faeries."

The room fell silent while Sookie desperately tried to recall in her memories what she could have done to cause someone to act against her. "You're sure it's not Freyda?" she asked Pam.

"It's not her," Eric stated with a conviction that made her slightly uncomfortable, angering her more than she'd like to admit.

"Hadley," Jason whispered.

"She's dead, Jas!" Sookie cried out.

"Yeah, I know," he shrugged, "You were cold with her, Sook, frosty as fuck. Never saw you like that before."

"You weren't there before," she whispered. "She took everything that Gran had; to snort up her nose and stick in her veins, and if Gran hadn't, I would never have been in the position I was when she died. We woulda never have lost the house."

"Still," he replied carefully. "You left her out in the cold when she needed it most. When you had all the money in the world to spare. You chose not to help her out."

"You think I made the wrong call," she whispered.

He nodded carefully, owning up to some of his own guilt he felt over the situation, "Gran always said, 'Family be family, no matter what.'"

"We saw the body. It can't be."

"Before we revealed ourselves, it was not unusual to hold a funeral, disappearing bodies always raised too many questions. Once turned, they would be retrieved from the ground. The crueler Makers would let them crawl out themselves," Kristian supplied.

"Not me," Pam beamed at her Maker. "You made sure I had the prettiest funeral."

He smiled back, their first true interaction since they arrived, catching her off guard in the process, she was supposed to still be mad at him after all. It didn't matter that a teenaged wolf had made her entire grudge seem frivolous, Pam wasn't supposed to be the one to crack first, children's rights and all that.

"If she turned," Sookie wondered aloud, the possibility boggling her mind, "you would know of her, wouldn't you?"

"If she turned _Sanguine_," Aelia corrected, "I will have Shahbaz will look into it."

"No," Sookie returned with determination. "I'm tired of sitting and waiting. Tulla, take me to meet Bill."

oOoOoOo

"I'm coming with you," Eric repeated for maybe the third or fourth time. Sookie was too tired to keep track at that point, rather, tired was an understatement, the machine pumping milk from her breast doing nothing to relieve her of the stress of travelling with a newborn and being thrust into the midst of vampire-faery politics where everyone seemed to hold an eternal grudge, then again they were residing in the Eternal City, so it really shouldn't have been that surprising after all.

"Aelia already overruled you," Sookie pointed out. "And she's right, I'll be safest with her. Besides one of us needs to be here with Lisbet, it's hard enough as it is leaving her here. I need you here, Louvelle's a child."

"I don't like this," he pointed out. "I don't like this at all."

"Neither do I," she shrugged. "It's why I'm putting an end to this."

"Don't be a fucking martyr," Eric pleaded. "This isn't your fault."

"What if it is?" she whispered, unable to look him in the eye. "What if it's all my fault?"

"Than the whiny bitch needs to get over herself," he growled. "I would have done the same thing as you."

"No, Jason was right, I should have helped. I left her out in the cold." She wiped away a tear carefully, hoping the sucking noises from the breast pump would mask their presence, but Eric was quick to catch on, kneeling beside her and holding her as closely as possible considering the contraption at her breasts. He switched it off, noting the large volume she had prepared and the damage it had done to her body.

"Wait," she protested. "Lisbet needs more!"

"No," he replied sternly. "You're _not_ going to be gone that long, and this far more than she needs. You're coming back. Promise me that."

She remained painfully silent, forcing him to demand it again, "Remember why we ran, it wasn't for _us. _Lisbet needs her mom. I need you. Promise me you won't do anything to threaten that."

"Okay," she whispered. "I'll try."

He pulled her downturned face up to meet his, "You did the right thing at the time. Remember that if it is her."

She shook her head, "No, I was being selfish. Worse, I was being vindictive. All I cared about was one-upping Freyda because of her poisoned mind, I was so caught up in fighting her I never cared about the money or your legacy. I just cared about being righteous. I treated Hadley just the same! I deser-"

"You don't deserve this!" he cried out. "I refuse to let you believe that! You're incredibly good! Far too good for the likes of me, I still don't know why you'd want me with all that goodness. If anyone is underserving it's me!"

Sookie smiled weakly, resting her forehead against his, only noticing in that moment she was in a state of undress, her breasts extremely sensitised and any semblance of makeup that Pam had insisted on trailing in streams across her face. An attempt was made to cover herself again, wipe away the worst of the stains, but Sookie still felt like a mess, and instinctively she pressed her lips against his seeking comfort, "It would have been so easy if it was just Freyda."

"It's not her," he repeated again, holding her closer, her head coming to rest in the crook of his neck with an ill ease.

"I'm really missing the bond right now," she murmured into his skin.

"Me too," he agreed, "How about this, you ask, and I'll tell you what I feel, well as much as a guy can."

She tittered softly before finding his earnest eyes, "How can you be so sure? Do I have to worry?"

"Worry?"

"You and Freyda, you know so certainly it's not her," she sighed. "Makes a girl insecure."

"Ah," he mused. "You're not the only one who regrets the cold actions of their past. I wasn't exactly the best husband I could be, our relationship was anything but ordinary, but-"

"It didn't mean you deserved to die," she finished for him.

"Yeah," he smiled softly, "See we don't need that bond at all, and you don't need to carry all that transplanted guilt."

"Maybe," she shrugged, "Still doesn't explain why you're so damn sure it isn't her."

"My guilty conscious stalks her on Facebook now and then," he offered in explanation causing Sookie to audibly gasp with wide eyes. "Just to make sure she's really as happy with her own little family unit as she claims. Well, as much as one can on Facebook."

"You talk to her?!"

"Only in the aftermath of some legal things, we have a better rapport now than when we were married," he shrugged. "She even sent us a gift for Lisbet before we ran, suggested we set up a play date sometime in the future with the boy she was expecting. I politely declined, especially when she mentioned _our _kids could get married to each other."

"And you're still sure it's not her?" she voiced sceptically, eyes narrowing with distrust.

Eric could barely contain his chuckle, he'd never seen Sookie this jealous before and it was rather endearing, "Yeah," he assured. "This really isn't her style."

"What is her style?" Sookie huffed.

"She'd kill you like she did me," he shrugged. "Freyda never was one for the long game, it's why I never objected to marrying her, knew it would be in my favour in the end."

"Except that it got you killed," she pointed out with a frown.

"Even that worked in my favour," he grinned. "Got me you."

"We could have worked out before," she whispered. "If it didn't get us both killed first."

"Maybe," he shrugged, "but not for the long haul, we both know that. It's why neither one of us ever made a move."

"Yeah," she agreed with a whisper. It had gone unspoken but both knew that he may have once thought the nicest things about her, endearing him to her like no other, but he was no saint, and even if he was, his mind certainly wasn't, and his human thoughts combined with her telepathy at some point would have eroded something worthwhile, not to mention the difference in their mortal states.

"Let's get you some rest, okay?" he smiled. "Pretend we're back home, a lazy afternoon in bed, you, me, and Lisbet?"

"I miss our home," she murmured.

"Yeah," Eric sighed, "Me too."

oOoOoOo

Godric caressed his Maker's hand softly while she continued to stare desolately out of the car window. He kissed the bare expanse of her shoulder softly, whispering, "I'm sorry." She shook out of her stupor momentarily, eyeing him carefully from the side.

"I was foolish to fall for his lies, this isn't anyone's fault but my own," she smiled kindly. "I should have known better. This isn't the first time and it won't be the last."

"I'll always be here," he replied, moving an obscuring lock from her face.

She kissed the palm of his hand, exerting a small nod. "I know, but it's not the same." Her face turned back to the world outside, the bright lights and noises passing them by. "Do you ever think there's something wrong with us?" Tulla asked in a whisper, as if voicing the thought aloud would instantly affirm the supposition as truth. "That there's nothing for us outside of this familial line?"

"We've never really bothered to find out have we?" he replied, "After this is done, let's go somewhere, just you and me. This place, it's too reminiscent of the past."

"I forgot," she whispered while the car came to a standstill. "You hate it here. Let's go somewhere exotic." Tulla turned to face him once more, adjusting the fit of her dress, drifting seamlessly into a woman deeply in love and giddy to meet her secret lover. "How do I look?"

"Perfect," he replied. "Remember I'll be here the whole time." She smiled, taking a deep breath before opening the car door and walking the last few blocks to Bill's home. With a wide grin, the door opened, the two conversing in Italian as if nothing was amiss, the language still feeling strange to her rather than the situation, despite it resembling her native Latin.

"A friend is coming by," she smiled while he massaged her shoulders. "If that's okay?"

"Of course, darling. Anyone I'd know?" he posed innocently. Giacomo, or rather Bill, wasn't supposed to know anyone she knew, at least that was the charade of his making. Tulla held her lips carefully, staring up at his reflection in the mirror, finally seeing the deceit for what it was without the aid of rose tinted glasses.

"Just a friend," she smiled. "She'll keep our secret."

"A 'she' is it?" he grinned lasciviously. "Am I in for a treat?"

"Something like that," she uttered, falling out of character momentarily, thankfully it went unnoticed as that was the moment the doorbell rang. He was quick to move, but she stopped him gently, "Let me."

Bill eyed her suspiciously and fearing he was catching on, she tittered, "Don't look so scared, it'll be a good surprise!" To abate the worst of his suspicions, she kissed him gently, a tear escaping her eye briefly while his apprehension melted away, he held her longer than necessary while she studied every small movement of his face, "If you keep holding me like this you'll never get your surprise."

"Right," he grinned, letting her go but for a quick peck to her hand. She flounced down the steps, as if positively giddy and embodying the careless spirit he had been able to evoke from her, that his attention had brought her, coming to a shuffling standstill at the front door. Wordlessly she opened it, letting Aelia and Sookie in with a nod. Without pause, they moved up the stairs while she wrapped herself in her coat, tears flying in earnest before running across the road, not caring for the downpour of rain that had started to fall from the angered sky. She flung herself into Godric's waiting arms, who stood at the ready under a large umbrella, and she sobbed.

oOoOoOo

"Introduce me to your friend, darling," Bill said while preening in front of the mirror when he heard the soft thud of female footsteps approach. "We're going to have ourselves a grand old time."

"We certainly are," Aelia spat out.

"Empress," he whispered, falling down to kneel quickly before her in subservience. "You honour me with your presence."

"I'm not here by choice," she growled. "Rise!"

Warily he moved himself up from his knees, "I swear, she never said anything of her lineage, I did not know she was an Aurelie!"

"Save your lies," Aelia spoke coolly, switching to English. "You knew exactly who she was."

"Sookie?" Bill spoke in surprise as she stepped into view.

"You have some nerve, Bill Compton!" she hissed. "Now take us to your employer!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yep it's certainly getting exciting! Love hearing your thoughts as always, could it really be Hadley all along? **

**A general reminder; since some people seem determined to remove stories from this site I'd like to remind you all that my WordPress site is my posting place of choice (direct link is in my profile) and in case you suddenly find me not updating and it's not the Christmas break go find me there, though this story will most likely be wrapped up by Christmas if not in the days after.**

**Much thanks to msbuffy as always.**


	35. Chapter 35 - F2F

"_Introduce me to your friend, darling," Bill said while preening in front of the mirror when he heard the soft thud of female footsteps approach. "We're going to have ourselves a grand old time."_

"_We certainly are," Aelia spat out._

"_Empress," he whispered, falling down to kneel quickly before her in subservience. "You honour me with your presence."_

"_I'm not here by choice," she growled. "Rise!"_

_Warily he moved himself up from his knees, "I swear, she never said anything of her lineage, I did not know she was an Aurelie!"_

"_Save your lies," Aelia spoke coolly, switching to English. "You knew exactly who she was." _

"_Sookie?" Bill spoke in surprise as she stepped into view. _

"_You have some nerve, Bill Compton!" she hissed. "Now take us to your employer!"_

**Chapter 35 - F2F**

"I don't know a Hadley," he repeated through clenched teeth. Demonstratively he shifted against his restraints, hoping to elicit sympathy from Sookie by emphasizing their 'shared' Southern lilt, the move only turning her colder against him.

"I do not care what she calls herself now!" Aelia hissed. "Tell the petulant bitch to get here now!"

"I swear," Bill pleaded. "I don't know of this woman; I did not know Tulla was one of you!"

Aelia's brow moved askew towards Sookie, questioning his sincerity, "I know a liar when I see one," Sookie answered evenly. "Seen minds, seen the lies. You lie well, I'll give you that. We both know this won't end well, now you have a choice how badly you want this to go."

"You're not the same woman I met in Bon Temps," he accused. "She would have shown mercy! Cared for my wellbeing in this clear violation of my rights!"

She snorted, "I guess motherhood has made me hard, deal with it. There will be no mercy from me, not after the pain you've inflicted on poor Tulla, and even worse, poor Staci. Did you show her mercy? Did you think of her wellbeing for even one moment through your manipulations and schemes?"

His jaw grew tense, frustration legible from every pore of his inflamed skin.

"Go on," Sookie goaded, hovering close, "Absolve yourself, deny your culpability. I dare you."

"It wasn't me!" he cried out in frustration.

"Who was it then?" Aelia hissed, her boring gaze unnerving him even further.

"I don't know!" he cried out, the women collectively scoffed, "I swear I don't know! I received orders, that was all! Promises were made to help our cause."

"Did they?" Sookie posed, her tone suddenly friendly. Reluctantly he shook his head. "The bombings, they were part of the deal, yes?" He nodded, loathing the betrayal he was revealing to whom he considered one of his greatest foes, Aelia, one who never shied away from announcing her despise and disgust of his kind.

"Who told you to go after Tulla?" Sookie asked, her hand suddenly silencing his volunteered answer. "Never mind. That was all you, wasn't it? Only you would market seduction as leverage, and she's far too friendly and sympathetic to see the worst in anyone."

"Yes," he sighed despondently. "I thought-"

"Make her fall in love with you and she'll betray the family she was born into?" Aelia uttered, barely containing the laugh that wanted to accompany that preposterous notion. "You're out of your league, little boy. Who gave you your orders?"

"I told you!" he cried out with frustration. "I don't know."

"Don't know or don't remember?" Sookie demanded.

"We never met," he conceded with a minute movement. It had escaped Sookie, but Aelia's study of the, in her mind, inferior vampire had revealed much in that millisecond. Following where his betraying eyes had briefly travelled, she narrowed in on the laptop. She beckoned Sookie to help her with the unfamiliar technology and when prompted, Bill gave her the necessary password with reluctance and a great threat of violence after which she examined his browser history.

"RGN_5927? This is your contact?" she demanded as soon as Sookie opened up his chat history that was either encrypted or a foreign language. Reluctantly, Bill nodded. "I think we have all we need here," she informed Sookie while taking possession of the laptop.

Bill's pained face turned to Sookie, hoping to elicit some sympathy again, he pleaded, "Please tell Tulla I did genuinely care for her. She may have been a pawn at first, but it became so much more. I came to care for her."

"I'm sure in your twisted little mind you did," Sookie sighed, "It won't save you now. Your cause, demanding equal footing to the Sanguine," she started carefully, aware of Aelia's presence and stance on the matter. "It isn't wrong, there is no cause for you to be treated as second class citizens. These actions, however, make me doubt that. You're going about this the wrong way."

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable1," he replied.

"Where did you hear that?" she demanded, an angry trigger flushing her entire face.

He merely shrugged with a self-satisfied grin, "John F. Kennedy may have mentioned it once."

Sookie's eyes narrowed further, her gaze transplanting to Aelia instead who gave an affirming nod from behind the computer screen, sending a deep chill down Bill's spine with the ramifications of that silent conversation. "I'd say it was nice knowing you, Bill, but it really wasn't."

"Wait!" he cried, the chair groaning with his attempt to defy the restraints. "I'll tell you! I'll tell you everything!"

"That's the thing, isn't it, Bill?" Sookie smiled sweetly, her warm breath unnerving him greatly with its close vicinity to his face. "You already have; you have nothing left to tell that your computer won't."

"I-" he struggled again.

"Now Shahbaz is coming in here, you remember him right?" Bill nodded with an audible gulp. "The last time you two met, I told him to be nice to you for Staci's sake. Considering how you treated her, I don't think I'll ask him again this time."

"Please?" he pleaded, unnerving Sookie as it appeared he was about to cry from sheer terror.

"Tell you what," Aelia whispered with an alluring promise as if it were an invitation to her bed. "You tell him about your 'revolutionary' friends and maybe, just maybe, we can do something for you. What do you say?"

"YES! YES!" he cried out as if in relief, his head bobbing emphatically.

"Good boy," she grinned with a pat to his cheek. The door opened to Shahbaz and Oren and with a nod, they removed a weary Bill Compton from the apartment.

They moved quickly into the safety of the car and with screeching tires, it accelerated back into the heavy traffic that was clogging up the ancient arteries of Rome. The two passengers had remained silent since leaving the house, the rush of adrenaline plummeting the farther they travelled. Aelia was the first to break the silence when they were almost at her residence, "The quote, what does it mean to you?"

"It's in the chat history, isn't it?" she hazarded to which Aelia nodded in confirmation. "It's something Gran used to say often to us kids. Bill and his ideals really have nothing to do with this. They used him like they use everything else to make their point. You're right, it's personal and it's directed at me. It has to be Hadley. I'm sorry to have caused you such grief."

"It's not all on you," Aelia smiled sympathetically. "You're family now, in fact, always were. Anything aimed at you is ours by default. We won't let you stand on your own."

"Aelia," Sookie spoke softly. "Godric suggested we ask you to become Lisbet's godmother, well, not exactly suggest…"

"I understand," she smiled. "Choose whomever you like."

"No, you misunderstand," Sookie tried to clarify. "I initially balked, as if the choice was taken from us, but now, I've come to understand. I _want_ you as Lisbet's godmother, for what you said just now. If anything were ever to happen to me, I know she'd do well with you."

She chuckled, "It's been a very long time since I took a Childe, however they all still behave like it. Don't worry, I'm going to make sure Lisbet will always have her mother."

Sookie couldn't help the tears that had started to form at that promise, barely able to utter, "Thank you."

oOoOoOo

"What's with her?" Pam asked when Sookie rushed past her and into Eric's arms, losing herself in the unique scent that wafted from Lisbet's head.

"Hormones," Aelia informed dryly. "Let her be. How is Tulla?"

Pam shrugged, "About the same, Weepy McWeepyton."

"And you?" Aelia posed, a picture of perfect innocence were it not for the malevolent glint that hid in her dark eyes. Pam remained purposefully silent in reply, so Aelia spoke for her, "You've been avoiding Kristian from the moment you arrived. I'm not blind my dear. The two of you and your commitment issues, either enjoy the casual nature of your relationship or figure it out. You're helping no one carrying on like two lost souls the way you two do. Now where is that girl, the one who likes computers?"

Pam eyed her warily, the casual tone addressing her relationship to her Maker could almost be mistaken for an approval of such proceedings. "Molly?"

"Yes, that's the one," she said. "Now don't just stand there, get me the girl or find Kristian. Either one." Her feet tapped impatiently, clearing her throat she tried again, "Now, would be good." With amusement the ancient vampiress watched the younger one scurry off, shaking her head she said to no one in particular, "Silly children."

oOoOoOo

"Are you sure it's a she?" Molly posed, receiving an affirming nod in reply. "If you say so, however, going by what I know, this 'person' doesn't seem to be female, and he knows his way around a computer."

"An accomplice," Godric noted. "Well, it was unlikely she was acting alone. Sookie mentioned she's not all that capable."

"I have a location, it's not likely to be accurate though," Molly mused, chewing her lips. "Crap!"

"What?"

"We've been spotted," she groaned, her tongue sticking out slightly while she frowned in deep concentration, the rapid movements of her fingertips straining the keyboard with her preternatural strength as the hardware struggle to keep up. She finally breathed out in relief only moments later, announcing, "I think we're okay."

Aelia stared at the screen, wondering what exactly she was supposed to be looking for. "What's that?"

"Nothing," Molly shrugged. "Just an ad." She clicked it away, only for it to appear again, repeating the movement twice, failing to remove it each time. "Hold on," she said with a sudden concern. "Fuck!"

"What's happening?"

Angrily Molly batted away at the keyboard that now proved unresponsive while a multitude of browser windows kept opening by themselves and obscuring the monitor. "Unplug the router!" she commanded, only to be stopped by Aelia who cried out, "Wait!"

"I have to advise against this," Molly interrupted. "They have access to your entire system right now."

"I don't care," Aelia growled while watching the command window pop up, a single rectangle flashing in the blank page while the room fell to silence. The lighting flickered on and off, Shahbaz and a contingency of his guard entered the room, ready and alert, while letters started to form a sentence, '_You should listen to your tech support.'_

"Can I reply?" Aelia demanded, and Molly nodded, offering her the keyboard. The ancient vampiress stared at it curiously. "You just type the letter you want, like a typewriter, it's easy." She nodded, carefully taking possession of the unfamiliar object. "Maybe I should type for you," Molly said in a cautious voice.

"Tell her I want to meet her." Molly did as asked and the room remained silent while they awaited a reply.

'_Why?' _

"I'm tired of these games. Tell her so we can come to some understanding."

'_Who says I'm interested in an understanding?'_

"There must be something they want?" Molly shrugged, typing as she went.

'_A conversation.'_

'F2F?' Molly typed, causing the window to disappear. "What did you do?" Aelia seethed in the sudden darkness. "That abbreviation, what did you type?"

"Face to face?" she wheezed out, struggling under the chokehold, the lights turning on once more. The monitor switched from black to an acid green, and a screechy electronic rendition of a wedding march started playing while a series of numbers started filling the screen.

"Write them down!" Aelia commanded while loosening her hold on the computer expert.

"They're co-ordinates," Molly pointed out, regaining some of Aelia's esteem.

"Look it up!" Aelia continued in command mode. "Preferably on an actual map."

"No need," Godric interrupted. "I recognise them."

"Where?"

"Where else?" he shrugged. "Bon Temps, Louisiana. The Stackhouse Homestead."

The screen turned black with the command window appearing again. '_I will tell you when.'_

"Tell her I'm on my way."

"I can't," Molly spoke with regret. "I'm locked out."

'_Bring the golden girl and the child, no one else.'_

The computer rebooted itself with a screeching sound, aggravating the sensitive earbuds of the Supernaturals present while their surroundings appeared to set themselves to rights again. "Check the perimeters," Godric commanded, hurrying out the room himself in search of his own Childe and his family unit, only to collide with a frantic Sookie on his way out.

"Where's Oren?" she cried out while Eric appeared to be flying at great speeds throughout the house and grounds.

"What happened?" Godric urged, trying to ease her frantic sense of mind.

"The lights," she sobbed. "Out. Oren. Lisbet," Sookie breathed out before buckling with the weight of it all. "Aelia, you promised," she whimpered. "You promised to keep us all safe."

"Get up," Aelia spoke sternly at the puddle on the floor that once represented Sookie. "Godric, fetch your Childe."

"I don't-" he started to protest.

"Fetch your Childe!"

He nodded, setting off after his trace. Aelia breathed in deeply before her hands started to fill with a bright green electric charge, engulfing her entire body with the bright light till suddenly Oren materialised beside her. "You fool!" she hissed at him. "You do not separate the mother and the child!"

"I apologise." He fell to his knees with reverence where Sookie desperately grasped for her child, looking her over for any sustained damage. Eric was quick to move in behind her, the frantic set of their eyes unwilling to relent until they knew for certain Lisbet was unharmed. "I was bound to protect the child at all costs, you may need to change her diaper."

"Where did you go?" Sookie whispered, looking over her daughter and finding her unchanged, yet somehow changed, clothes fitting tighter than before. "She's older, how?"

"I took her to a safe plane in Faerum," he shrugged. "It seemed the best place for a short while, she's only aged a week or two. I do apologise, Princess."

"Next time," she whispered with a sigh of relief. "Warn us."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I almost cut this chapter off a little sooner just to be cruel but I figured it was exciting enough without a missing baby… anyhow next chapter will be the last and I'll have it up within a few days.**

**Much thanks to msbuffy for her ever diligent work on these chapters!**

**Happy New Year everybody!**

1 John F. Kennedy, '_Remarks on the first anniversary of the Alliance for Progress'_, 13 March 1962


	36. Chapter 36 - Good Enough

"_They're co-ordinates," Molly pointed out, regaining some of Aelia's esteem. _

"_Look it up!" Aelia continued in command mode. "Preferably on an actual map."_

"_No need," Godric interrupted. "I recognise them."_

"_Where?"_

"_Where else?" he shrugged. "Bon Temps, Louisiana. The Stackhouse Homestead."_

_The screen turned black with the command window appearing again. 'I will tell you when.' _

"_Tell her I'm on my way."_

"_I can't," Molly spoke with regret. "I'm locked out."_

'_Bring the golden girl and the child, no one else.'_

_The computer rebooted itself with a screeching sound, aggravating the sensitive earbuds of the Supernaturals present while their surroundings appeared to set themselves to rights again. "Check the perimeters," Godric commanded, hurrying out the room himself in search of his own Childe and his family unit, only to collide with a frantic Sookie on his way out._

"_Where's Oren?" she cried out while Eric appeared to be flying at great speeds throughout the house and grounds. _

"_What happened?" Godric urged, trying to ease her frantic sense of mind._

"_The lights," she sobbed. "Out. Oren. Lisbet," Sookie breathed out before buckling with the weight of it all. "Aelia, you promised," she whimpered. "You promised to keep us all safe."_

"_Get up," Aelia spoke sternly at the puddle on the floor that once represented Sookie. "Godric, fetch your Childe."_

"_I don't-" he started to protest._

"_Fetch your Childe!"_

_He nodded, setting off after his trace. Aelia breathed in deeply before her hands started to fill with a bright green electric charge, engulfing her entire body with the bright light till suddenly Oren materialised beside her. "You fool!" she hissed at him. "You do not separate the mother and the child!"_

"_I apologise." He fell to his knees with reverence where Sookie desperately grasped for her child, looking her over for any sustained damage. Eric was quick to move in behind her, the frantic set of their eyes unwilling to relent until they knew for certain Lisbet was unharmed. "I was bound to protect the child at all costs, you may need to change her diaper."_

"_Where did you go?" Sookie whispered, looking over her daughter and finding her unchanged, yet somehow changed, clothes fitting tighter than before. "She's older, how?"_

"_I took her to a safe plane in Faerum," he shrugged. "It seemed the best place for a short while, she's only aged a week or two. I do apologise, Princess."_

"_Next time," she whispered with a sigh of relief. "Warn us."_

**Chapter 36 - Good Enough**

"Sweet home Louisiana," Pam drawled with the sight of the barren air strip, characterised by the red dirt soil and little else worth of note. "Home of polyester, moonshine, Walmart, and backwater waitresses."

"Hey," Sookie protested. "There's nothing wrong with any of those things! I was a waitress once!"

"Hand me my crown and I shall wave to the paupers!"

"Pam, be nice!"

"This is me being nice," she grinned. "Come on, Princess Lisbet, let's grin and bear it!"

"Why did I ever open the door to her?" Sookie grumbled, purposely removing Lisbet from Pam's rather reckless arms.

"You like her too much," Kristian grinned, catching Pam by the waist. "It's an issue we're all trying to overcome."

"Better you than me," she quipped back.

"I will take residence in your home," Aelia informed Sookie, surprising her with the request that was made out as a command. She nodded in compliance while the vampiress motioned to the car that had a special car seat installed for Lisbet, but little space for anyone else, and a security guard already occupying the front seat. "Pamela, go to the palace and reassert your crown."

"No!" Pam protested. "You can stick that title where the sun don't shine! Give it to Cousin Annabelle."

"Out of the question, you need to reclaim your former territory," Aelia spoke with little interest. "Who knows how long we'll be there?"

"As far as I can tell, _I_ don't need to be here at all," Pam pointed out. "_You,_ just don't want to deal with Sophie Anne." Her eyes rolled along with the little huff that moved a few hairs, delighting Lisbet with the sight, and softening up Pam to everyone's surprise. "Not that I blame you, Sophie Anne is a real psychotic bitch. Isn't that right Lisbet? Can you say Sophie Anne is a psychotic bitch? Yes, you can!"

"Pam, stop it!" Sookie hissed while she continued to safely tuck her child in the seat beside her.

"You know she won't act well with us in her interim territory," Aelia informed Pam. "She knows the position is temporary, so you best be clear with her."

"Yes, until Cousin Annabelle can get off her fat ass and take over, call her."

"You know as well as I that she is still stuck in her current position," Aelia pointed out. "Take back your territory!"

"I don't want to," she replied petulantly. "It's not mine anymore, I don't want it!"

Aelia glared at her, then travelling her gaze to her Maker instead, demanding he reprimand her then and there. "I will take possession of the territory," Kristian offered. "Write it off as an inventory of the former reign until Annabelle arrives."

"Fine!" Aelia spat out. "You can be the one to tell Sophie Anne. I _don't _want to deal with her." The two vampires nodded dutifully, Pam hiding her triumphant smirk poorly.

With little forewarning, Sookie found herself suddenly squashed against the car seat, Aelia on her other side, the engine revving to go. She was quick enough to catch the nervous glance while the ancient vampiress eyed the rest of their party, waiting on their luggage and loading up the other cars before she uttered to the driver, "Leave, slowly."

Panic set in for Sookie with the sudden turn of events, a reassuring hand coming to rest over her from the woman beside her. "It's better this way," she whispered while displaying the message on her phone, indicating only a date and time in the not too far future. "They'll only follow if they know. The instructions were clear. Me, you, and Lisbet."

"You never mentioned Lisbet," Sookie whispered with worry, regarding her daughter who had snoozed off with the gentle roll of the car.

"Would you have agreed to come so willingly?" Aelia pointed out. "Some things just need to be done. Remember I will be there, remember my promise."

"Oren?" she whispered. "If anything were to happen, he'll be there? For Lisbet?"

"It's better for you not to know, isn't it?" she replied with a tap to her head, alluding to the fact that the one they were about to meet could possibly possess a similar skill set to Sookie. "The less you know, the less there is to reveal."

Sookie nodded, hating to agree with that particular logic, but unable to find fault in it. Slowly the familiar landscape began to resemble that of her childhood home, the town she'd known so intimately well, yet never seeming more foreign than ever before. They stopped in the back of the parking lot of Merlotte's, a strange nostalgia overcoming her when she saw her former boss ready and waiting by his old jeep. "He'll take you the rest of the way," Aelia informed before Sookie and Lisbet exchanged one car for the other, the vampiress staying deliberately out of sight. "It's safer this way, I'll meet you there." Sookie gave a nod of understanding before being engulfed by an enthusiastic Sam.

"It's good to see you round these woods again, Cher," her old friend greeted while she desperately tried to keep her emotions in check. Sookie felt completely unprepared for the task ahead, especially with Lisbet by her side, and now seemingly left to their own devices, unsure how much Aelia's promises meant in that moment or with what she was dealing. "Thought with the house, we'd be seeing you sooner than now."

"Different priorities," she smiled weakly, proceeding to ask how things had been in the small town in her absence. She engaged in an appropriately enthusiastic manner where it was required, and displayed the right amount of remorse with any bad news, feeling and barely hearing any of it.

"Can't believe you're a mom now," he grinned while regarding Lisbet in the back seat. "She's just as pretty as her momma. You wanna come by-"

"Please don't," she whispered, barely holding it together as it was, if anything she couldn't take on Sam's consistent hungering of inserting himself as the other half in the equation of _her _family, hoping that the absence of Eric and her sudden return meant an opening of sorts for him. "Eric and I are as happy as we can be."

"You certainly don't look happy," he murmured as they approached the final bend before the Stackhouse property. Sookie ignored the snide comment, her thoughts lost when she suddenly was confronted with her former family home restored to exactly what it was, albeit in a newer incarnation.

"Who did this?" she whispered with awe.

"This wasn't you?" Sam frowned.

"No," she smiled. "Had any strangers in town? Supernatural?"

"Just this little fella," he shrugged. "Been renting the old Compton home now and then."

"Godric," she smiled, wiping away a tear, a happy one for a change.

"Never caught his name," he shrugged. "Could be it. He seemed friendly enough."

"Thanks for driving me, Sam" she said after he offloaded her luggage onto the brand new porch. "You should probably go."

"Let me help you get settled," he offered eagerly. "I was so excited to receive your text."

"Text?" Sookie frowned just as she caught the event travelling through his mind. It appeared Aelia had certainly caught up with modern technology quickly, the sentence structure betraying the sender could only be her, despite it being Sookie's name signed at the bottom. "Let me just walk around a bit with Lisbet, then I'll call you later. We can have dinner or something?"

She hated giving him this incentive, but knew it was the quickest way to rid herself of him, considering the prescribed time as she had seen it on Aelia's phone was imminent. Sam beamed with the prospect, his mind already running the scenarios that included a Sookie without Eric after their 'date.' "I'd love that," he smiled. "Just call me and I'll come pick you up."

"Sure," she smiled, resurfacing that crazy smile she had been forced to work so long, Sam not even noticing it was anything but genuine, whistling merrily while he got back into his car and waving his arm out of the open window happily before driving off.

"I thought he would never leave," Aelia growled, startling Sookie with her sudden appearance beside her.

"Were you aware of this?" Sookie asked, gesturing at the new structure.

"No," she replied, the vampiress turned the front door handle, finding it open and peering inside suspiciously upon seeing it furnished and seemingly lived in. "Invite me in."

Sookie did as asked while following her in. The home was sparsely furnished with nothing resembling the former decor that now resided in her Lake House.

"Welcome," a generated voice suddenly greeted, startling Sookie while Aelia distinctively held her cool.

"Hadley?" Sookie called out. "Please come out, I'm sorry, okay?"

"What do you know of Hadley?" a male voice asked, the direction difficult to determine. She cast out her mental telepathic net, brushing up against the other mind hidden in the house, but shut out of it as soon as she tried to take a peek. She gestured her finger upstairs, indicating to Aelia where she had located the foreign mind.

"_Is she like you?_" the strange mind asked.

"_I don't know," _she replied honestly while glancing at her unperturbed daughter, not keeping him out as effectively, and figuring honesty was best. "_We're not sure."_

"_Leave her, she will be safe with me_."

Aelia's hand wrapped tensely around her forearm, demanding her attention. The vampiress mouthed the word 'gun', clearly distinguishing the distant sound of it cocking with her supernatural speed. Sookie stiffened, engaging her shields around her own mind as tightly as possible.

"I can't do that," she replied audibly, hoping that if Aelia at least heard half the conversation it would be of some use. "I can't leave her behind."

"_Shame_," he said coolly, chilling her to the bone, "_It means you'll all die."_

"Let me talk to you," she pleaded. "It's what you wanted isn't it? A conversation?" Aelia eyed her carefully, her eyes indicating the approximate location for confirmation from Sookie. She moved too fast for Sookie to follow, all she heard was a thud and a flood of electric currents of opposing colours flowing through the house. She held Lisbet close to her body before she carefully moved upstairs, the mind she had just conversed with now definitively silent while Aelia appeared as quiet as ever.

"Do you know him?" Aelia demanded, her grip still tight on the unconscious man. She shook her head, finding nothing familiar at all. She looked around the room curiously, it was filled to the brink with monitors, servers, and desktops, all humming with noise. A single bed stood in the corner with a small table and a single lamp. He was slight, pale from not venturing outside, and his hair a dirty blonde that vaguely resembled Lisbet's. A small portrait of Hadley was the only thing on the nightstand, and she studied it curiously, "I guess he knows her."

"Don't touch that!" he suddenly cried out, surprising both women with his sudden cognisant state. Aelia's grip on him was relentless, more painful than most could stand, let alone one so weakened as him. He laughed maniacally, "Do your best! I've suffered far worse than the likes of you!"

Aelia studied him carefully, he wasn't even bothering to resist his hold and carefully, she pushed up his t-shirt, baring his scarred stomach. A hint of sadness brimmed in her eyes, and carefully she posed, "Lochlan and Neave?"

He nodded, his empty gaze reverting back to the covered window. Tenderly she traced the thickened skin, grown over itself multiple times. He rolled over compliantly, as if trained to do so, while she moved to his back where the ugliest of his wounds resided. "Why?" Aelia whispered. "Why you?"

His vacant gaze drifted to where Sookie stood, next to the portrait. "Her," he spat out. "It's all her fault."

"Hadley?"

"No," he screamed, turning red with anger that soon turned into tears. "HER!"

His loss of control opened his mind to Sookie though he was quick to close it again, but she'd seen enough to know all. She fell to her knees beside him, Lisbet safely tucked in her side. "I'm so sorry," she whispered while caressing his sweaty mop of hair. "I didn't know! I didn't know!"

He struggled against Aelia's hold with vigour, "Don't touch me! Don't YOU touch me!"

Sookie backed off tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry," she continued to whimper.

"Calm down," Aelia urged to little avail.

"She doesn't understand!" he screamed out. "She can never understand!"

"But I do," Aelia spoke lowly, he stared at her questioningly, carefully she loosened one hand and when he remained calm, she slowly unbuttoned her blouse, lowering it to his gaze to display similar scars by the same makers. His free hand traced them, mapping the expanse of her skin like she had just done to him. She flinched momentarily with the memory, breathing in and out to control the impact. "It gets better," she offered weakly, not entirely convincing him or herself.

"The same?" he whispered, sounding every bit a child. She nodded while helping him sit up, a small cough escaping him. "How?"

She smiled indulgently while he struggled to find the words to create the sentence he wished to express. Finally he asked, "How did you make the nightmares go away?"

"I took matters into my own hands," she answered simply. "Certainly not by trying to blame those that failed to stop it from happening. However, there was a moment when that was all I felt."

"What did you do?"

"I became something else," Aelia smiled. "Something better, they can't hurt me anymore."

"Only in your dreams?" he asked.

"I no longer dream."

He stared at her in wonder momentarily, "It all stops?" She nodded, her seductive gaze making him forget anything beyond the two of them, Sookie and Lisbet no longer a concern or interest to him.

"Is it okay if Sookie leaves now? With Lisbet?" Aelia posed gently, as if he had any say in this dark seduction. He nodded, whispering a word of sorry to Sookie before she left the room in tears herself. She ran out of the house, frantically searching for her phone to call Sam only to spot Godric and Eric on the horizon, one holding the other back with all his might. She carried on her sprint, holding Lisbet close to her body, happy to see Godric releasing his hold in the same instant. She'd never been more thankful than in that moment to be in Eric's grasp, sobbing as she did with relief and remorse while reassuring that she and Lisbet were unharmed, that they were all safe now.

A retching noise sounded out through their reunion, silencing even the surrounding wildlife with the chilling promise, Sookie's wet face seeking out the pensive stance of Godric's, "She's going to kill him, isn't she?"

"Yes," Godric replied. "Yes, she is. It's for the best."

oOoOoOo

"If only I'd known, Eric," she whispered while safely tucked in their old bed in his old home that had become their home, his surrounding arms barely leaving her body for even a second since their reunion at the farmhouse, Lisbet happily sleeping beside them in her crib. "His dad gave him away to a pair of insane Faeries for a bag of coke. He heard Hadley's mind on the phone that day, how I'd never want him. What a cold hearted bitch I was."

"That was her drugged out mind," he sighed. "He was barely three, and he's been living under the torture of two murderous Faeries, and in isolation since he managed to escape their grasp."

"I didn't believe Hadley when she said she had a baby to care for, that she was pregnant."

"She _wasn't_ pregnant," he pointed out. "His mother put him in that situation, not you. _She _didn't love him enough to do what was best for him. She was swindling you for cash, how can you be at fault for seeing right through her? She never let you know about him, how could you have helped? The bitch didn't even bother registering she'd given birth to him."

"If I'd given it more attention, I could have helped, if I'd stopped writing off everything she said as a lie."

"You can't fix what's already passed," Eric whispered in her ears. "This world is harsh, the Supernatural one more so. The best we can do is make sure to avoid it happening again, and spare our own daughter such pain."

"Years, Eric," she said in horror. "Years they spent torturing a child. A child, Eric!"

"Niall has promised to show no mercy," he supplied. "Aelia seems especially gleeful at that."

"Politics dictated they were never held accountable for what they did to her," Sookie spoke with a tremble in her voice, the horror of what she'd read in Hunter's mind alongside the brief insight Aelia had granted them both into hers when trying to convey to the traumatised boy, no matter what his appearance he remained a boy, what she had endured by the same hands would never leave Sookie's mind, no matter how hard she tried. "She was forced to interact with them for the good of relations, _after!"_

"Shhh," he whispered, kissing her neck softly. "It's over now."

"How can I ever make this right?" she sobbed. "I had the money, I had all the possibilities in the world to save him."

"_If you'd known_," he reminded. "Do you blame Jason?"

"No," she replied with a frown. "Why would I blame Jason?"

"Was he not in the same position? Did he not have the money to make it all happen too?"

"I told him not to help her," she protested. "I threatened to cut him off if he did."

Eric shrugged, "He still could have done it, and we both know even if you found out you would have never followed through with that threat, and Jason knows that too. Money would have never helped that situation, only delayed the inevitable. Sookie, they abducted him and killed his parents the one night she called you and asked for money. They told him they were sent by you, so how would you have made a difference? You logic is as skewed as his."

"It still doesn't erase the fact that I should have helped, if not money, then in some other way."

"That's a lesson learned then," he sighed. "It doesn't amount for the sheer quantity of guilt you feel right now, nor will it fix the past."

"Stop abusing the bond," she harrumphed, making her annoyance with his sudden ability to read her with ease known in every way possible.

"No," he grinned.

"Seriously, you can't be that horny all the time."

"Around you I am," he replied with a waggle of his brows.

She rolled her eyes, getting up to warm a bottle for Lisbet in time for her scheduled feeding. He was quick to close the gap between them, hindering her greatly with nips at her neck while she tried to get the bottle ready. "Stop it," she warned, still too emotionally raw to deal with any of his advances in this moment in time.

"He'll come around," Eric promised, hugging her tightly without the sexual overtures.

"You think so?"

He hummed, alleviating her of the task warming breast milk with ease, pulling Lisbet from her crib while instructing her to remain seated in her Gran's rocking chair. "Aelia is a good Maker. When he adjusts to his new state Hunter will come to his senses. You'll get a second chance with him. She'll treat him well, she wouldn't have turned him otherwise, no matter that he's an exceptionally powerful being."

"He's blamed me for everything for a long time Eric," she sighed, softening as Lisbet happily cooed in her hold with the promise of her bottle. "All those years in Faerum, he's supposed to be six, but he's going on thirty-five. He's lived longer than I have at this point with the accelerated time difference between here and there, not a single bright point in his life. He thought he was saving Lisbet from the horrible creature that I am and the fate he was subjected to. He wanted to save her from _me_. Maybe he's right."

"All he's ever wanted is a mother and family, Sookie," he reminded, "He'll have that now with the Aurelies, and that includes you and Lisbet. It may take time, but he'll come to his senses at some point, and in the meantime, you'll have every opportunity to prove him wrong."

"How?"

"By being a great mom to Lisbet, a task you'd happily have taken on for him _if _you'd known, that not even once through this all have you ever blamed _him, _while he's been anything but a saint,_" _Eric spoke rationally. "You're fucking good, Sookie Stackhouse, I still say you're too good for me, but luckily I tricked you, and you're stuck with me now."

Sookie laughed softly in return, remembering those words he'd thought of her once, _"'She's too good to simply be my mistress. She deserves someone for life, I can only give her for now,'"_ she recited from memory. "Do you still believe that?"

"Every waking moment," he grinned. "Well, except the second half, I made sure I was _that _someone for life and that there was more to give than just now."

"You sure did," she smiled, reaching up for a kiss. "Guess you're good enough after all."

-The End-

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yep that's it I'm afraid, a little bittersweet but an ending nonetheless. It wasn't Hadley after all but in a sense she was a source of all the anguish, as msbuffy told me, 'it's no wonder there's so little sympathy for her character.' I hope you enjoyed, I never had planned to extend the original one-shots and had many moments of frustration on whether it had been a good choice to pursue or not but I'm satisfied on how this story evolved and I hoped you all enjoyed it and its conclusion too. **

**Thanks to msbuffy for jumping in on the ride and her stellar editing work throughout. **


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